Elektra Black: The Demigod Witch (Year 1)
by mischiefmanaged1970s
Summary: Elektra Black is the daughter of a Greek goddess (Hecate), and a falsely convicted murder (Sirius Black). Follow her journey as she embarks upon her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. New friendships will be made, old friendships will be reformed, and family ties will strengthen. (Sporadic updates... Rated T just in case)
1. Chapter 1

Sirius Black had been visiting James and Lily and his one year old godson, Harry, who had somehow managed to make Sirius' stained, torn and tattered t-shirt look worse than it did before he arrived. It was Harry's birthday, and Sirius was delighted that his present had gone down a storm. He had given his godson a broomstick that could fly no higher than a metre off the carpeted floor. It came with a whole assortment of safety features and equipment, although Lily has somehow still managed to find fault in his gift.

Sirius couldn't help thinking that maybe, once this war was over, the two parents of the little child could be him and Hecate, a girlfriend whom he had become rather serious about. However, only James knew of her. The couple both decided that it was best for her to remain unknown to the rest of the wizarding world as Sirius was deeply involved in the war. James remembered the look of absolute ecstasy on Sirius' face as he ranted about his new girlfriend -

'She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen... Her eyes sparkle as if there are stars trapped within them...-'

('Sirius, you sound like fourth year me making up poems about Lils-')

'Her hair smells like the prettiest flowers, and, get this, mate, She. Loves. Dogs. I can just tell she's something special about her...'

Hecate was a half-blood witch named after the Greek goddess of magic, Sirius had been told. She had attended the American wizarding school, which was why Sirius had never once come across her in his twenty-one years. Sirius had been with Hecate for about two years, something that James was extremely proud of. It was a personal record, and Sirius was sure she would be 'the one'.

The young man apparated home, excited that he could once again see his girlfriend. They had not seen each other for three months and Sirius was bursting with things to tell her. He made his way upstairs, grinning like a maniac when he saw her lounging on the sofa. 'Hecate!' he called, and she turned to him and smiled, accepting with happiness a powerful hug. 'It's been too long' he murmured, taking in the beauty of her unique starry eyes and stroking a hand down her long dark hair. He leant in for a gentle kiss, losing himself in the moment. But when they pulled away, Sirius saw the grief in his partner's eyes.

'Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, gliding a calloused thumb over Hecate's cheekbone.

'Sit down, we may be here a while... NO NOT THERE' she screamed as Sirius went to rest upon a bundle of pink blankets on the sofa. The wizard looked down, and sure enough he saw a little pink head poking out of the side. His expression changed swiftly from shock to his 'happy baby face' as he liked to call it. ('Padfoot, that face is absolutely terrifying!', 'Shut up, Moony, it's cuter than yours will ever be').

'Hello there!' the buff Black cooed, leaning over the tiny figure in the blankets, stroking her soft black tufts of hair. 'You didn't tell me you were on babysitting duty! Whose is she? What's her name?' he asked, directing his speech towards his girlfriend once more.

'That's what I'm here to talk to you about,' the girl sighed. 'She's mine, and, by extension, yours. It's up to you to name her'. Sirius turned to look at her so fast his neck cricked, but he gave it no thought. Then his wide eyes narrowed.

'She can't be... ours. I haven't been with anybody else in the past two years, and I saw you only three months ago and you were by no means pregnant! So unless you managed to have some super speedy, abnormally magical pregnancy then I think you have made one incredibly stupid mistake'.

Hecate chuckled quietly at his wording, before becoming serious once more at her boyfriend's death glare. 'And that "super speedy, abnormally magical pregnancy" is what we need to talk about.

'I have lied to you about a number of things, and I hope you'll forgive for what I must do, but it is written in the Ancient Laws. Just know that I love you, and I'm sorry it was you I had to fall for'. She could feel the wizards glare boring down on her, but carried on. She knew that if she stopped now she would never have the courage to continue. 'First of all, I am not a half-blood. Nor am I an alumni from the American wizarding school. I am, in fact, not a witch at all-'

'Your magic is some of the most powerful I have ever seen! What do you mean you're not a witch? Don't go all Loopy Lupin on me with the whole "I'm not a wizard, I'm a monster" because that doesn't change a thing...'

'I'm coming to that' Hecate responded. 'I am also not twenty years old. Yes, I look twenty but I'm actually about 150 times older...' she chuckled to herself.

'A bit of an over exaggeration'

'No, pretty accurate really... Now, have you heard of the Greek Gods?'

Sirius sat in stunned silence. After listening to Hecate's story and ordering proof (which came in the form of an Iris Message to Chiron at Camp Half-Blood) Sirius could see no way that Hecate could be lying. When he finally found his voice, all he could manage to say was 'Our child is going to have luscious locks, huh?' stroking the back of one finger against his daughter's fine hair. 'What a life she's going to have - Sirius Black as her father and the Greek Goddess, Hecate as her mother. She'll be mighty talented, I can tell you that'. The initial shock was beginning to wear off. He picked up the tiny bundle and rested it gingerly on his muscular arms, kissing her forehead. And in that moment, he felt as if a fog had been cleared from his vision. He looked at the sleeping child, and saw not a nameless baby, but his daughter, his own child, and he knew that she would be his light when the going got tough, and he knew that he would do anything to protect her.

'What will you call her?' Hecate asked softly.

'What's the Greek word for 'light'?' Hecate chuckled once more. 'Hey, 'Te, Why are you laughing? You're Greek, and she is a beacon of light in the middle of a Dark war. It makes sense!'

'I don't think you want to call her that, Sirius. It's Φῶς (Phos).' Sirius grimaced at the thought of that being his daughter's name. 'How about a Greek name that translates rather than the word itself?' Hecate proposed. 'You could have... Helene? Elena?'

'They're pretty, but not very unique. Our daughter, however, is. Is there anything more-' He snapped his fingers. The goddess furrowed her brow as if searching through her mental book of Greek baby names before a smirk found its way onto her face.

'How about Elektra?' Sirius thought about it for a second as he looked down at his daughter. Her eyes squinted open for the first time, and she looked up at her father and gurgled.

'Elektra... I like it. Nice to meet you, Elektra Black'.

Sirius was sitting comfortably on the couch, bouncing Elektra gently. Hecate was knelt beside him, her arm wrapped lovingly around his shoulder, knees tucked up against his bobbing thigh. She had just told him about the Ancient Laws, banning the Gods from letting their child grow up with them. Once the lamp, mirror, wall, and Sirius' knuckles had been fixed, he agreed to take a seat and a warm butterbeer.

'I can stay for a few months' Hecate decided. 'But I doubt Zeus will allow much more. I'll visit as often as I can-'

'How often's that?'

'At first a couple of times a year, it will get less frequent from there I'm afraid. I can still visit you, just not Elektra. I am not one of the Olympians, so her demigod scent should not be strong enough to attract many monsters, but it will grow stronger if she begins to learn that she is a half-blood. If this happens, and monsters become a frequent worry, send her to Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York. You have a number of years yet, however, before you need to worry about that.

'Now, what do you say to visiting James and Lily tomorrow and letting them meet their new family member?'

'Can James know about you? About who you really are?'

'I shall give Lily and James that knowledge. I think it is time for Remus and Peter to find out about me too, but not of my true identity. They may be your brothers, but you all must meet a crossroad soon, and the possibility of the Marauders coming out the other side as one is zero to none. It would be best for us all to keep my true self unknown.'

Sirius wasn't sure how to react to Hecate's statement. Was one of them to die or be betrayed? Maybe captured? He decided not to let it get to him. None of them had reached those crossroads yet. There was still time to turn the tables.

Elektra Black was exactly a month old today, 27th August 1991, although Hecate hadn't introduced her to Sirius until a few days later. What worried Sirius the most was the constant fright that Voldemort might use Elektra to find out James and Lily's address. While he was not the secret keeper, the other side were bound to believe that it was. It was too dangerous to keep Elektra around incase the Death Eaters found out about her.

That day, Sirius told the goddess about his concerns.

Hecate thought for a while. 'There is one place I can think of where we could hide her. It's called the Locus Hotel and Casino. It is a place in Los Angeles, although you could still visit her. Time is different there. Five minutes in the hotel could be two days in the real world, and although I would be able to change the speed of time for Elektra so she grows up at a relatively normal pace, I could not change it completely. The hotel also meddles with the minds of it's victims, causes them to forget things outside of the casino. If Elektra were to live there for even a couple of months there is no telling what could happen. However, I know of no other way to keep her absolutely protected from You-Know-Who. It is your choice'.

A couple of days later, Hecate travelled their daughter to the Locus Hotel and Casino. The Mist was cast over the other Marauders' eyes, allowing them to forget of her existence. Her place was taken up by a grumpy half-cat, half-kneazle named Crookshanks. His carrot-coloured cat seemed content with the Marauders' company, although Sirius noted he had a strange disliking for Wormtail. 'He can probably scent the rat in you' Padfoot noted at Peter's rejected look. 'All he wants is to chase you down and eat you for dinner' he chuckled.

While Sirius dearly missed the weight of his daughter in his arms, the familiar baby scent he had grown accustomed to, and the sound of her powerful lungs filling up the empty room, he knew that he had done the right thing. He would apparate to Los Angeles tomorrow and visit his daughter, he decided.

Another couple of months passed, and Sirius had tried his best to visit his daughter at least once a week. Hecate wouldn't allow him to enter the Casino for fear of him losing himself within it, so instead she would collect their daughter for him and disappear off afterwards - she didn't want to meddle with the Ancient Laws.

When Sirius was unable to see his daughter, he was able to send dream messages through a special link that Hecate had created. While she was still too young to understand or respond, he knew she could hear him.

Then, on October 31st of that very year, Peter Pettigrew betrayed his brothers. As Sirius arrived at the cottage in Godric's Hollow, his eyes widening in absolute terror at the green smoke spiralling into a skull and a snake, his emotions turned into anger. He screamed and kicked and punched the innocent walls. All he could see was a cluster of red and black, his heart felt so full but so empty, and then he heard the crying. There he saw Harry, his godson, a one year old child who had just seen his parents drop to the floor in a flash of green light. And Sirius thought of his daughter, of Elektra, and knew that he couldn't let Peter - no, that _traitor_ \- reach freedom. He couldn't let these two children whom he loved so much, be known of.

Three wands lay around the house - one fallen hopelessly on the floor by Harry's white cot, the cot that the Marauder's and Lily had spent hours trying to put together. The beautiful and elegant wand had belonged to Lily. It chose her at age eleven in Diagon Alley. Another wand sat forgotten on the sofa, thrown to the side by a care-free James, Prongs, Sirius' brother. He would never see his laughter etched across his face again, never hear another dreadful poem he had written for Lily, never see him disappear beneath the invisibility cloak and play peek-a-boo with Harry. Sirius timidly picked up the wand, a faithful companion through their seven years of pranks, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. He noticed a jumper thrown messily over the arm of the couch and held it close to him, trying to keep James' familiar and comforting scent close to him. The third wand seemed to have bounced off the back wall from a rebounded spell. Sirius glared at it with all his might, but he couldn't bring himself to touch it. This was the wand that had killed James and Lily Potter.

Sirius wiped a stray tear from his cheek and made his way towards Harry. He lifted his godson from his crib and bounced him gently on his knee.

'What mamma pappa doing?' asked the one year old, staring intently at his godfather.

Sirius looked into those innocent emerald eyes and stroked Harry's messy black hair. He smiled gently and whispered 'They've gone to sleep. They're resting. But they'll be asleep for a very very long time. Just know that they love you so, so much, and so do I. Never forget that, okay? I would never do anything to hurt you. You are one of the brightest lights in our world. You're a warrior, and a fighter, and mummy and daddy would do anything for you'. He kissed Harry's forehead, taking in his scent, trying to make the moment last. He placed Harry back in his crib and looked at him intently, trying to take in every last detail.

'Unc'e Pa'foo' where you going?'

'I have to leave now Harry, and I may not see you in a while. I'm sure Uncle Moony will be here soon. Maybe you can have a sleepover with him' he chuckled, thinking how happy Harry would be living with his tender loving and prank formulating Uncle Moony.

'Uncle Wormy?'

Another bout of hot anger flushed through Sirius' mind. 'You won't be seeing him for a while either Harry' he said, surprised at how steady he managed to keep his voice. Sirius heard shouting and screaming coming from outside the cottage. He peered out the blue curtain of the nursery, decorated with broomsticks and stars, to see a group of people - aurors, Dumbledore, Hagrid... Remus. _He's going to hate me. He'll think I did it-_ thought Sirius, the idea of his favourite werewolf still trusting Peter making his sick to his stomach. 'I have to go now Harry,' he said quickly, preparing himself for apparation. I wish I could take you with me. You'll be safe now, I promise. 'I love you so, so much, and so do your mummy and daddy'. He gave him another kiss on the forehead and apparated out of the house before he would lose his courage.

Elektra would be safe in the Casino, Sirius thought to himself, trying to rationalise his thoughts. It was difficult to say the least with a deep red fog of anger clouding his brain, pushing on the edges of his skull. Hecate would make sure she came to no harm.

Sirius Black was on a mission to avenge the deaths of those he loved, to avenge the lives that the traitor had ruined. Sirius Black would kill Peter Pettigrew.


	2. Chapter 2

'I'll miss you' murmured Alfie into Elektra Black's ear as he tightly wrapped his arms around her.

'It's only until December. You'll hardly notice I'm gone' the daughter of Hecate replied, screwing her grey eyes closed in an attempt to prevent the tears trickling out.

'Yeah, because that's likely' snorted Clarisse as Elektra gave the boy's hand a final squeeze. Elektra's closest friends had gathered at Thalia's pine to say goodbye to Elektra who was heading off to boarding school in the United Kingdom. She had said goodbye to some of the older campers, (most importantly Selina, Luke, and her only half-brother Alabaster), after a final training session. Sam Hargreaves, son of Apollo, and Hermes' youngest children, Tyler Fritz and Isla-Mae Paris (better known as Imp due to her small size, cheeky personality, and initials) had left Camp Half-Blood two weeks prior once the official summer camp had come to an end, leaving Annabeth Chase, Clarisse La Rue, Daisy Ritcombe and Alfie Edgewere to bid Elektra goodbye. The five of them were a tight knit group, being the youngest year-round campers (Clarisse pretended not to give a damn about any of them, but did in fact have a caring side that few saw).

Elektra had saved Alfie's goodbye until last. The two had become rather inseparable in their two years together, best friends to the point of becoming non-biological siblings. Alfie had run from foster home to foster home before arriving at CHB at the age of ten. Elektra had been hidden in the Lotus Hotel and Casino since she was a month old to keep her safe from the war that was raging in her father's world until she was nine. Elektra was the daughter of Hecate, and Alfie unclaimed, so both lived in the Hermes cabin. The pair spent the majority of their time singing with their Apollo friends or riding pegasi, and were very rarely apart. It was leaving Alfie that Elektra had been dreading most about accepting her Hogwarts letter, and the fact that she couldn't tell him the truth about the school she was to attend didn't help the feeling of betrayal as she began to trudge down the hill towards the Delphi Strawberry Service minibus, subtly wiping a tear off her cheek.

Argus lifted her luggage into the vehicle, sliding the door closed, and as they pulled away to begin the journey to the airport, the eleven year old pressing her face against the back window and waving furiously, she couldn't help but think of all the memories she had made, all the magic she had worked on controlling, all the defence she had learnt, and that she was leaving one home to discover another.

There were many things that Elektra was looking forward to about Hogwarts. The lessons, of course, sounded magnificent. She was buzzing to learn how to control her wizarding magic (she had discovered, with Chiron's help, that her godly magic felt as if it came from the gut and the wizarding magic from the heart). Of course the feasts were something not to be missed. Merely thinking about the sorting seemed to cause the world's butterfly population to congregate in her stomach. The multitude of activities available, from the choirs to the duelling clubs, sparked the girl's interest. And then there was Harry Potter - a boy about to begin his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, unlike most eleven year olds who were soon to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time, Elektra was not excited to get a peek of his scar, or get a signed photograph with The-Boy-Who-Lived. No. Elektra Black wanted to meet her godbrother. She wanted to meet his friends. She wanted to find out if he was like his mother and father, whom she had heard so many stories about that it seemed as if she knew them personally. The only issue was that, with her father supposedly being the man who caused the murder of his parents, Harry could not know of her relation to Sirius Black, and nor could the rest of the student population. A story had been fabricated that had to stick to, else she would be sure to be shunned or made fun of. Despite her protests through multiple letters to and from Professor Dumbledore, whoever became her Head of House must know of her parentage. _I'm sure they'll love that_ , the demigod thought bitterly.

Elektra's dad had told her that his years at Hogwarts were the best of his life. He never stopped raving about the pranks and the teachers and the quidditch, but he always tried to avoid the name 'Peter Pettigrew', only uttering it if absolutely necessary and with enough venom to poison the rat ten times over. True, Sirius Black was locked up in Azkaban, surrounded by Dementors, but Elektra's mother had managed to create a mental link between the two. However, the goddess (or Titan, if one wanted to be particular) was unable to help Sirius to escape as the Dementors had too much of an effect on her many thousand year old memories. What was particularly worrying Elektra however, was that she had not heard from her dad since the beginning of summer, and while her mother was more active than many of the gods, she would definitely not be in the running for the mother-of-the-year award, and this meant that she had got no information out of Hecate either.

This worry, however, transomed into elation only eight hours later as the girl arrived at the muggle section of Heathrow airport. A familiar face was staring up at her from the newspaper stand along with the headline ' **Dangerous Convict Escapes High Security Jail** '. Her father's mug shot covered the front page, his thick, black, wavy hair (which his daughter had inherited) hanging limp and knotted from his worn out face. Elektra's heart swelled with pride and excitement and worry and love as she touched her fingers to his black and white inked face, a huge grin spreading across her young features.

'You alright, love?' asked the stand keeper. 'You're looking awfully happy about his escape'

'I get quite excited by criminal cases' the girl smoothly lied. 'A bit of action - it's quite exciting really!' she shrugged before grabbing the handle of her trunk and heading to Exit 7.65 (which had a similar system to Platform 9 3/4, as when one walked straight into the door of an 'off-limits storage cupboard' by the muggle Exit 7, they would enter the part of the airport run by the Department of International Magical Cooperation where there were floo stations, magical taxis, and a Knight Bus stop). Within this hidden section of the airport, the same mugshot of her father plastered the walls on **WANTED** posters, but these ones moved with an anger - teeth bared, hands shaking the prison cell bars. Elektra tore her eyes away from the aggressive image, hardened her jaw, and strode purposefully towards a floo station that would take her to the infamous Diagon Alley.

It was August 31st when Elektra first arrived in England - the day before the Hogwarts Express left for the beginning of the school year. This meant that few people were left to buy their school books, robes, and potion supplies, so herself and Hagrid, the Hogwarts groundskeeper had very few queues to deal with. Professor Dumbledore had assigned the twelve foot man to help the eleven year old with school shopping, and they set off to complete the task as soon as Elektra had dropped her trunk off in her room at the Leaky Cauldron. Elektra had never understood just how rich the pureblooded Black line was until their trip to Gringotts. The vault was filled to the brim with gold, silver and bronze coins.

'You might wan' 'a close tha' before a toad jumps in' joked Hagrid as Elektra's jaw hit the ground. The man scooped up two handfuls of gold coins, not making a dent in the mountains of cash, and put them into a large leather pouch, then repeated this action, slipping them both into one of the many pockets of his very large coat. 'One fer today and fer school. Don' you worry, I'll be keep'n it safe until ye' have your trunk with ye'' he reassured Elektra, and she knew she could trust him, having heard nothing but great things about the man from her dad. She protested against Hagrid for not allowing her to buy the very expensive diamond cauldron ('But there's surely enough in my vault for it!' 'It says ye need pewt'r!), and catwalked her new school robes across Madam Malkine's shop. She grimaced at some of the ingredients on display in the apothecary ('They seem to forget that some wizards are vegetarian…'), and by the time the pair reached Ollivander's wand shop, Elektra may as well have been transfigured into a rabbit she was bouncing so much with excitement.

The door to the old shop creaked as Elektra pushed it inwards and stepped through the doorframe. A little bell tinkled and the door slammed, causing a small eruption of dust.

'a-CHOO!'. The force of Hagrid's sneeze sent a few wand boxes flying off the wall. In the same instant, a ladder slid speedily into view, and Ollivander himself was looking down at Elektra from the top of his ladder (Hagrid was so tall that his face was in fact level with the shopkeeper's).

'Ah,' sighed the old man. 'Elektra Black. I knew there was one new student I was yet to serve'.

'How do you know my name?' demanded the girl, perhaps slightly too aggressively, but she had quickly learnt from CHB that if someone you had never met knew your name, you were in deep trouble. It was often the first clue of a monster in disguise.

'Don' ye worry, now,' reassured Hagrid. 'Mr Ollivander knows of jus' abou' everybody'.

'My memory is one of particular excellence' the old man agreed, 'and it's not difficult to match a name to a face. I remember the day your father entered through that very door for his first and only wand-'

'You know who my dad is?'

'Dragon heartstring, oak, twelve inches, brittle, a fine wand that one… The core belonged to a rather temperamental Romanian Longhorn… Particularly good at hexes… It suited Sirius Black very well I believe… A shame it was snapped by the ministry, but precautions must be made'

'Yeah,' swallowed Elektra, 'precautions… So, uh, how does this work then? The wand choosing the wizard and all?'

'Aye, that is the most important aspect of wandlore'

'I noticed. It says it on the front of your shop' she pointed out, gesturing towards the latin inscription below the name.

'You know Latin?' the wand maker questioned.

'A little, but I'm better at Greek. It's important to have a vague knowledge of latin to understand how spells work though' Elektra justified before holding her arms out for the tape measure to wrap around.

One by one, the wands were snatched out of her hand, some before she had even managed to wave it. It was taking a lot of will power to contain her godly magic and release only the wizardly side, but she was proud of the progress in this since she had first arrived at CHB where it all mixed together, resulting in some powerful but incredibly draining accidental magic. Ollivander narrowed his eyes and reached for an emerald box on the top shelf.

'Try this one,' he suggested. 'Pear and unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, springy. Consistent, loyal, a combination that would prove particularly difficult to turn Dark.'

As Elektra wrapped her hand around the fresh wood, a comforting warmth spread throughout her body. Unlike the other wands, it did not feel like a burden, but an extension of her arm and a security blanket. The girl smiled, took a deep breath, and waved the want, releasing a trail of silvery white sparks. She looked over to Ollivander apprehensively. 'It seems that your wand has chosen you, Elektra Black' he smiled. Hagrid was positively beaming as they handed Ollivander seven galleons and left the shop, the emerald box stored safely in a pocket close to Hagrid's heart.

Hagrid thought it necessary to celebrate the find with an ice cream from the celebrated Florence Fortescue's. Elektra was tucking into a Cookies n' Cauldron Cakes flavour ice-cream (she had joked about ordering the Troll Bogies flavour, but after Hagrid confirmed that the texture was just as accurate as the flavour she decided against it).

'We were all quite surprised when we learnt tha' Sirius Black had a littl'n' Hagrid mumbled, clearing his throat.

'My mother took me away to live in America when I was only a month old because of the war,' Elektra explained. 'Dad obliviated everyone who knew about me straight after as protection. No body had any memory of me'. Hagrid took a moment to contemplate the explanation.

'Profess'r Dumbledore said that you should switch you mother and father's positions. Ye dad's a muggle from America and ye mum was a half-blood a' Hogwarts. 'Will prevent the unwanted attention'

'I don't see why I can't just tell people of his innocence'

'Even if he is, Elektra, by put'ng yerself out there like tha' will only mean bad things for everyone. Not to mention the Ministry would be after ye'. Ye have't seen the man since ye' were a littl'n. He tunr'd mad, I'm tellin' ye… no, it's best to follow Dumbledore'. Elektra huffed but reluctantly agreed, if only so they could buy a pet. There was no point trying to defend her dad to anybody. They wouldn't listen and it would only arouse suspicion.

The eleven year old had decided to get a cat as regular letters to America would go through the international floo system, and there was no body else she could send letters to (although if she did need to, she could use the school's owls). Elektra walked slowly through the isle of cages, spotting everything from the typical black cat to magical cross breeds, all fixing their beady eyes on her. Then she spotted a rather large ball of white and grey tabby fur curled up in a cage on the far end of the shop. She sped up, asking the shopkeeper to have a look at the cat in there. The young apprentice in the shop unlocked the cage, and out padded a beautiful grey and white metre long main coon. At first, Elektra mistook its hobbling movements for a kitten's lack of balance and grace, but soon noticed that its front left leg ended at the knee joint, and a chunk had been bitten out of its right ear. The cat circled Elektra, and then started to rub against her legs and Elektra bent down to stroke it. 'We found her in a dumpster in one of the side streets,' explained the woman. 'There was a bad curse making its way up her leg, we suspect it was non-intentional, but after the culprit realised what they had done, decided she was no use to them any more and there her out. Unfortunately the only way to save her was to amputate. It seems she was a part of a cat fight as well. We managed to heal the cuts but she managed to lose a chunk from her ear anyway. She's very loyal to those she likes, and she seems to have taken a liking to you' she noted, nodding in the direction of the cat who had her eyes closed, purring in pleasure as Elektra scratched her behind the ears.

'I'll take her,' Elektra decided, signalling to Hagrid for the pouch of money. 'What's her name?'

'A familiar's name is for the witch to decide' the woman smiled, accepting the money. 'She's all yours'.

 **Wheyyyy managed to get the next chapter up a week later :') #proud... Hope you enjoy and please remember to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: This goes for this chapter, all previous chapters, and all future chapters... it's call** ** _fan_**

Elektra headed down the creaky stairs towards the big tables downstairs for dinner. She had spent a little bit of time flicking through her new magic books (she found it laughable that they would be using the same History of Magic book as her father had used thirty years before), and getting to know her cat, whom she had decided to name her Arya, a character from one of Alfie's favourite book series, Game of Thrones (she had received a particularly aggressive hiss when she suggested HeCATe). Upon entering the dining room, she was surprised to find a rather large number of redheads all gathered around the largest table, and one of them standing opposite a bushy haired girl. The two were partaking in an aggressive exchange, hissing insults at one another. They were being very careful not to crescendo, frequently flitting glances at a plump woman at the head of the table, presumably the redheaded boy's mother. 'You need to learn how to control your cat, Hermione… if you can even call it that. It's a shame its nose is already flattened. I would love to flatten it myself'

'Ron! There is nothing wrong with Crookshanks. There is something wrong with _you!'_

'Your cat ate my rat!'

'He did not eat your rat, Ron. Your rat just has an extreme talent for getting lost. Anyway, if Crookshanks _did_ eat Scabbers - _which he did not -_ he would be doing that poor rat a favour. I don't know if it's come to your attention but your _pet_ is practically on his deathbed'

Their hushed argument was broken up when Ron focussed on something behind Hermione, and his face broke out into a large grin. 'Harry!'. Hermione turned around, her expression mirroring that of Ron's. Elektra followed their gaze. Standing at the top of the other set of stairs was, without a doubt, Harry Potter. He resembled his father so greatly that, had it not been for the emerald eyes, Elektra would have assumed it was the work of some sort of Time Magic. It was through the link that Hecate had created, the Oneros Link, that Elektra and Sirius were able to share memories and thoughts. If both were sleeping at the same time, and one desired to see the other, the Oneros Link would activate, and it would seem as if they were physically present. The memories that Elektra had seen of the Marauders shows James with a much more confident swing to his step than Harry seemed to portray. He, like Lily, seemed much more timid in comparison, as if he were trying to blend in rather than stand out. _I can't blame him_ , Elektra thought. _The whole Wizarding World knows his name without him making a big thing out of it_.

Harry made his way around the table, greeting the two adults, the girl (who's cheeks seemed to redden a little), and the three other boys in such a manner that Elektra was sure he knew them very well. Elektra was sure that Sirius would be delighted know Harry had found such familial friends. It was as the plump woman pulled away after giving Harry a bone crushing hug that she noticed Elektra at a table of her own across the room.

'Oh, darling! Come over here and join us' she fretted. 'We don't bite, I promise. Are you here for dinner? Everybody, slide up so we can fit everyone in. There we go, how lovely. What's your name? Are you on your own?'

Elektra, rather taken aback at the sudden onslaught of questions, slowly slid into the chair next to the woman and Hermione. 'Im Elektra, Elektra Black. Yeah, I just got here today from America. A man called Hagrid took me shopping for school things!'

Hermione politely questioned 'Is it your first year at Hogwarts then?' while Ron frowned 'You're American? You don't sound American'. Harry seemed to be speaking more to himself than anyone else, 'Hagrid was here?'.

'Yes, Yes, and yes' Elektra chuckled, nodding towards Hermione, Ron and Harry respectively. I'm going into first year. I'm _so_ excited, but I hated leaving everyone back home. My.. mum's… English and she was quite insistent on me not picking up an American accent despite the fact that I moved there when I was only a few months old because of the war against Voldemort and everything happening over here… what did I say?' she questioned at the flinches and raised eyebrows.

'You said 'Voldemort' rather than 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'' explained Harry. 'Most people are too afraid to say the name. I personally don't understand why. It's not as if he's going to pop out of thin air if you say 'Voldemort'.'

'Oh, Harry, would you stop saying that. Here, eat some food,' Ron's mother sighed. 'You are looking much too thin'.

'Mrs Weasley's right' Hermione frowned. 'I swear they don't feed you properly over there'.

'Dudley's managed to balloon to twice the size he was before,' a pair of identical twins across the table snorted into their drinks as Mrs Weasley gave them a disapproving glare, 'and Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have decided that we _all_ need to go on a diet. I don't think I would have survived the summer without the food you lot sent me' he joked. Hermione seemed to try to bury her concern under a weak chuckle, but Ron made no effort to hide his anger as his jaw and fists clenched. Elektra was caught up on the fact that Harry Potter was living with Petunia and Vernon Dursley. She had heard stories about them via Sirius' memories of Lily, and she was not impressed with the choice.

'Talking of people ballooning,' continued Harry, oblivious to the tension at the table, 'I managed to blow up my Aunt-'

'You _what?!_ '. The phrase came from the mouths of everybody at the table, but the way in which it was said ranged from curiosity (Mr Weasley), admiration (the twins and Ron), confusion (Mrs Weasley), worry (Hermione), hilarity (the redheaded girl) and from the other brother, a very disappointed tone.

Harry realised what he had said and clarified, 'Not as in-' he mimicked an explosion with his hands and sound effects, 'but as in-' he filled his cheeks with air and widened his arms to the sides. 'She became so inflated that she started to float away - this wasn't Petunia, by the way. It's Vernon's sister, Marge. - She had said some pretty awful stuff about my parents, and I tried to keep my cool - seriously, I did! Uncle Vernon said he would only sign my Hogsmede slip if I got up to 'no funny business'' he defended himself when he saw Hermione's pointed glare, 'but she went too far and off she went into the sky…' The twins we're cracking up at the other end of the table. 'Her dog, Merlin, I hate that thing, ended up biting Vernon's leg trying to get to her…'

'Was Dursley angry?' asked Ron.

'He was livid. Went completely purple in the face and demanded I bring her back down. So I grabbed my trunk and my wand and Hedwig and ran. I didn't really know where I was going, but I figured since I'd already used underage magic, I may as well use some more. I somehow managed to summon the Knight Bus and make my way here'

The twins and Ron moaned about how they wanted to try the Knight Bus, but Hermione was addressing the more serious issues. 'Harry, that's serious magic. You could have been expelled!'

'I thought I was going to be, but Fudge was waiting for me when I got here. Said it was accidental and the obligators had sorted it all out'

'Fudge? The Minister for Magic?!' exclaimed one of the twins.

'Yeah. I don't really get why he came to see me about some accidental magic-'

'Fudge? Cornelius Fudge?' pondered Elektra.

'That's the one' relied Mr Weasley, grabbing another spoonful of potatoes.

'Cornelius Fudge is Minister for Magic? Why?!' she said incredulously.

'Of course he's Minister for Magic. And a very good one at that. How on earth did you not know about his position?'

'Alright Percy, just because you're Head Boy it doesn't mean you can patronise the first years' chided one of the twins.

'Shut up, George' Percy snarled, 'and don't think I can't see you mocking me, Fred' he growled as the other twin stuck his chest out in a manner very similar to they way in which Percy was in fact sitting.

'As I said before, I live in America. My dad is a muggle and I hardly ever see my mum who is the only person that would know about the British Wizarding World. Everything I know about Hogwarts is twenty year old information'

'What's it like living in Muggle America?' Ron questioned.

'I don't really know much about it to be entirely honest. I rarely see my dad, but I stay at Camp year round. Most people come in summer but there are a number of us that are there all year. It's not exactly the normal muggle childhood, but I love it so, so much'.

Tom, the housekeeper, arrived to clear up the dishes. Elektra realised that her jet lag would prove waking up tomorrow for the train to be a rather difficult task, and after making arrangements with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione to meet in the morning, headed up to bed (and to cuddle with her new cat).

* * *

Elektra couldn't sleep. Her mind was reeling with the events of the day, not to mention her body clock was five hours behind. Since she had arrived in England, she hadn't had any time to appreciate everything, but now she lay cocooned in her duvet with the weight of Arya on her feet, and she thought back to everything that had happened. Elektra had been introduced to wizarding magic through the memories of her father. She knew how this world worked, and she understood references that mugs would not. However, it was not until today, August 31st, that she had witnessed this magic first hand. And, of course, on top of the surreal trip to Diagon Alley, Elektra had met her godbrother. Harry Potter was thirteen years old and looking well (perhaps, as Mrs Weasley had pointed out, a little skinny, but lankiness was not uncommon in teenage boys). He was kind and had close friends, and while he didn't seem particularly fond of his aunt, uncle, and cousin, he refused to give the others reason to worry. The way in which he made them seem humorous reminded Elektra of the way in while Alfie talked of his days in foster care. Thinking of her best friend awakened the desire to Iris Message him, and. taking care not to awaken Arya, untangled herself from her bedding, rummaged through her trunk, and pulled out one golden Drachma. _Styx, how am I supposed to create a rainbow?_ She remembered something about a spell to spew water from one's wand, and began frantically searching through Standard Book Of Spells: Grade 1.

' _Water is one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration, falling into the 'Food' category. However, the spell_ Aguamenti _summons water particles from the atmosphere and channels them, proving it possible to spray water out the end of one's wand. The greater the volume and pressure of water emitted, the stronger magic and concentration is required. A wizard must picture the form of water they wish to spray and follow the wand movement shown below'_.

It took a few tries before Elektra was able to produce and sustain the mist she needed, but after overcoming her elation at performing her first bit of magic she threw the golden coin into the mist.

'O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering. Show me Alfie Edgewere at Camp Half-Blood'

An image slowly shimmered into view. Alfie appeared to be sitting against the inside wall of one of the pegasus stables with a book open on his lap. He wasn't reading it, however, but watching the winged horse as it tore at the hay on the floor. Elektra watched this serene image for a few seconds before gently calling Alfie's name to grab his attention. He looked around, seemingly confused at where the voice was coming from, but soon spotted Elektra, and a huge grin spread across his youthful face.

'Elektra! Are you in England? I feels strange here without you. I don't know what to do with myself' he chuckled sadly.

'I miss you too, Alf,' Elektra smiled gently. 'It's been less than twenty-four hours and it's still longer than we've been apart since I came to Camp. But we can think of it like a challenge,' she decided. 'The plane got in earlier today, and someone who works at the school came to help me buy my school kit. I'm staying at a really famous inn for the night - although I don't really understand why it's so well known… it's not much less grotty than the Hermes cabin,' she joked. 'I met some people who are also getting the train to the same school tomorrow, so at least there will be someone I recognise there-'

'Are you nervous?'

'Terrified'

'You'll love it'

'I know.'

The two friends sat there for a while, not saying a thing. Elektra could feel her eyes threatening to tear up and she suspected Alfie was trying to hide his emotion too as he cleared his throat.

'I'll IM you whenever I can' Elektra promised.

'You'd better,' Alfie teased, then in a stage whisper continued '(or I may have to replace you with my good friend, Rodgie-Podie)', referring to the terrifying nineteen year old son of Ares, Brick Rodgers. The pair started laughing hysterically, attempting to act out comic impressions of Brick. Elektra imitated the time they found him bellowing in the Armoury, cowering against one wall with Annabeth screaming at the top of her lungs, pressed flat against the opposite side, both staring with eyes as big as saucepans at a house spider in the middle of the room, and the memory of this story was too much for Alfie, who, already bent double from laughter, passed gas rather loudly. The pair went silent for a second before they started laughing even louder than before, tears streaming out of their eyes.

They caught their breath, a few chuckles still escaping here and there. The image started to flicker.

'The connections weakening' Alfie sighed. 'Everyone will be trying to make new friends, so don't worry about that. Fill yourself up on hamburgers and soda while you can - we are completely deprived at Camp. And last but not least, don't do anything I wouldn't do' he smirked.

'i.e. do whatever the Hades you want and don't let anyone get in your way?' Elektra joked.

'Precisely… In all seriousness though, have fun. We're all expecting lots of Great British stories filled with tales of afternoon tea and meetings with the Queen when you get back.'

'I can tell you as many of those as you want. I can't guarantee they'll be telling the truth though'

'Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, bye, byeeeeeee…' The pair waved frantically at one another until the last second, and it was only when the mist stopped spraying out of Elektra's wand that the smile fell off her face. Content after her talk with Alfie and relieved that their conversations could continue in the same manner as they always had despite the distance, Elektra climbed back under her duvet, suddenly realising how much energy the spell had taken from her. Aria had, unsurprisingly (being a cat), slept through they whole conversation. Elektra heard Harry's voice urgently whispering 'but what would _Sirius Black_ want with _me_?', but sleep overpowered her before she had a chance to make sense out of the boy's question, and she had no recollection of it when the sun rose the next morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Well I've magnificently failed to stick to the once a week upload and I am terribly sorry about that! A lot has happened since I last uploaded, from handing in my universi** **ty applications to FANTASTIC BEASTS! I went to watch that last night on the DAY IT CAME OUT and it was absolutely brilliant. I'm begging y'all to go see it asap. You will not regret it! Other excuses as to why it has been so long: this term has been manic with rehearsals and coursework etc and my laptop decided to die on me a couple of weeks ago so I haven't been able to write anything for a while which sucks, but I have a new one now so hopefully I'll get back on track. I also seem to have lost half of a very important chapter which is realllllly annoying because now I'll have to rewrite it and it won't be as good because I'll get bored redoing it ahah *cries*. Anyway... on with the show:**

For no reason that anyone but the adults could understand, the group (which consisted of Elektra, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ron's siblings, Fred, George, Percy and Ginny, and Mr and Mrs Weasley) were getting to King's Cross station via Ministry Car. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Percy climbed into one car with Mr Weasley, and the others clambered into the second one. How they and their trunks all fitted, Elektra assumed must have been due to some magic enchantment. Ginny and the twins sparked up a conversation with her about everything they loved and hated about Hogwarts (most of the latter having a tight connection to either the Slytherins or Filch the caretaker). Elektra was amazed to find out how little the school seemed to have changed since her father's days there. Filch was now known as the 'old' janitor rather than the 'new' janitor and his list of forbidden items had lengthened tenfold, there were a few new teachers and others had been promoted, Apparation was now taught at the age of seventeen rather than sixteen, and Flitwick had started a new orchestra. The rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, however, remained aggressive as always, first years were still not allowed on the Quidditch teams in first year (although Harry had managed to impress McGonagall so much that he had evaded this rule), and the school rules were still apparently very easy to skirt around.

There was apparently a lot of action happening at the school, particularly since Harry Potter had joined - in fact, he had defeated Voldemort twice in as many years. This topic didn't last long in conversation though as the twins, like Elektra, had noticed that Ginny was looking particularly uncomfortable (not to mention Mrs Weasleys disapproving glances). They quietly steered the subject towards the Zonko's joke shop, Honeydukes, and pranks. Not much later, both cars pulled up, and the large group headed towards Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station with 20 minutes to spare before the train left. Mr and Mrs Weasley gave long, drawn out goodbyes to all the kids, even giving Elektra a hug after all the trunks and cages had been put on the luggage compartment. The motherly gesture was small but mighty, and the young witch felt a burst of courage surge through her as she boarded the Hogwarts Express.

* * *

Fred and George had already disappeared off to find their friend Lee Jordan, Percy had entered the train further down the platform after finding a girl called Penelope Clearwater, and Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone in search of an empty carriage at the other end of the train, leaving Ginny and Elektra to head down the corridor in search of their own compartment.

'I'll try and help you find some first years to sit with' explained Ginny. 'It's the best way to get to meet people, whether or not you end up in the same house'. The pair travelled along the corridor, peering into compartments though the windows, and trying to keep their balance as the train jolted into action. 'Millie!' Ginny shrieked, tackling a girl who had just walked out of one of the compartments with a bear hug.

'Gin!' the girl cried in surprise and excitement. 'How have you been?'

'Great, thanks! I'm glad to be getting back. Oh, this is Elektra Black' Ginny explained at Millie's confused look. 'We met last night at the Leaky Cauldron. She's going into First Year'

'I didn't think I recognised you' joked Millie. 'I'm Melissa Crowthorne. Hey, it's my sister's first year too. She managed to bag a compartment earlier. I'll take you there if you want?' Elektra expressed her gratitude, and the trio set off in search of Millie's sister.

As they wondered the length of the train, a blond boy ran past them, knocking his shoulder against Ginny's. 'Oi, watch it, Malfoy' she growled. The boy turned around, a sneer etched on his face. Then he saw Elektra. His expression slackened, his eyes widened, and he stopped dead in his tracks. 'Elektra?' he questioned.

'Draco!' she exclaimed, catapulting forward and engulfing him in a huge embrace. While a grin of amazement was spreading from cheek to cheek on the girl's face, Draco was sporting a very strange expression which seemed to be a combination of surprise, worry, confusion, happiness, and terror.

'You've grown' he stated.

'As have you'

'What are you doing here?' he asked incredulously.

'I could ask you the same thing' Elektra cryptically replied.

'You're _friends_ with _Malfoy_?! And I thought you were nice! He's one of the biggest prats of the entire school!' Ginny shrieked.

Elektra inspected her old friend, noticing the way he stood proudly, looking over his nose at the redhead, clearly biting his tongue to prevent a retort from escaping his lips. Elektra crossed her arms and let her eyes bore into his. 'Oh, is he now?'

'Everyone at Hogwarts knows that he has it out for Potter' growled Millie. A pink tinge was starting to colour Draco's cheeks as he clenched his jaw.

'Harry Potter?!' laughed Elektra. 'I don't feel like that's the best way to make friends, Draco'. The blond boy's mask was faltering under Elektra's glare.

'We need to talk. Alone.' He grabbed her arm and pulled her into tan empty compartment.

'Okay,' started Elektra. 'First things first. You're a ' _Malfoy'_? You said your surname was McMillan-'

'A pseudonym. If anyone knew that I wasn't my mother's child our whole family line would be hounded. We're influential and in the public eye. You can't be too careful'

'So what? Your dad cheated on Narcissa?'

'No. Narcissa was unable to conceive, but she had to to keep the line going. After making some connection through his trusted contacts, Father said that he was going on an international mission to the States. Athena took pity on Narcissa, did the crazy Greek magic the gods are known for, and here I am. Hold up - how did you know my step-mother's name?'

'As you said, you're an "influential family in the public eye". My dad's not a muggle. I know who the Malfoy's are.'

'Then what is he? And why did you stay year round if you could have lived with your dad?'

He couldn't know about Sirius. It would be too dangerous.

'A half-blood. He lives in America, but he's otherwise occupied. I've been telling people that my dad's a muggle and my mum's a half-blood though, please remember that. It's for extra precaution if I slip up about Hecate'.

There was a pause.

Elektra continued, 'It was strange when you left'.

'How's Annabeth?'. Draco and Annabeth, two of the youngest children of Athena, had been particularly close.

'She misses you.'

'Ditto.'

'You disappeared so suddenly. One day you were there and the next you were gone'. Elektra's voice started to rise. 'There was no note; nothing. We begged Chiron to let us go in a quest to find you. We were _so sure_ you had been killed out there on your own. You know what Annabeth's like. She blames herself. She wouldn't sleep for weeks. You could at least have IM'd. _How could you do that to her?!_ '

Draco's grey eyes, so similar to Annabeth's, were threatening to betray him. Elektra let her guard down and gave him another big hug. 'I'm sorry. That was harsh. Seriously though, just send her a letter to let her know you're alright. She hates things left unfinished'

'That will just reopen an old wound'

'The wound never closed, Draco'. The pair let go of one another. Elektra continued, 'You know, I'm glad there's someone here who understands the other part of my life. And from what Ginny said, don't be surprised if I put you in you place once in a while. You may not want your reputation tarnished, but I have one to build, and I'm not afraid of you'

'You should be. I actually _know_ some magic' he laughed.

'You're forgetting something' Elektra joked. She clicked her fingers and the originally scarlet seats flashed every colour of the rainbow. 'Not to mention the two years of training you've missed out on'.

Draco chuckled, then asked in all seriousness, 'Is that why you got your letter? Your godly magic?'

'No. As I said, my dad's not a muggle. I have to constantly constrain Hecate's magic, but I have to work to bring out my Wizarding magic. The magic comes from the same core, but they are different types of power that have to be channelled in their own way.' Elektra looked out the compartment window into the hall and saw Ginny and Millie sitting with their backs resting against the wall. 'We've been a while, and those two are waiting for me. I guess I'll see you around?'

'Especially if you get sorted into Slytherin' he smirked. Elektra snorted.

'Typical' she laughed as she made her way back to the two second years.

* * *

'You can sit with my sister as long as you don't indoctrinate her with that scumbag's Pureblood fascination' Millie scowled.

Elektra found it laughable that Draco was promoting pureblood ideals, but suppressed her giggles. 'Don't worry. I can't say I agree with any of that in the slightest. I'm a half-blood anyway, so it would be rather hypocritical if I did'. The demigod chuckled inwardly at the half-blood pun. At least she wasn't lying when she expressed her blood status.

'It's this one' Millie said, opening the door of a compartment in the next carriage.

'Heya, Kat!' greeted Ginny, waving furiously, an action that was returned with equal enthusiasm. Millie began the introductions.

'Kat, this is Elektra Black. She's also going into First Year'. Elektra lifted her hand in greeting, returning the girls welcoming smile. Kat shared Millie's blonde hair, but unlike her sister's straight, silky ponytail, Kat's was very frizzy, styled into two french plaits in an attempt to tame it.

'Who are your friends?' Millie asked kindly, referring to the girl and boy who were also sitting in the compartment.

The girl answered first. 'I'm Rosie Randalls' she said shyly, her big blue eyes showing her obvious awe at the second years standing in the doorway.

'Arthur Franks, but most people call me Arty', replied the boy with a nod, an action that meant he then had to push his sandy hair away from his eyes which were hidden beneath thin frames, oval glasses. 'We were about to play exploding snap. Want to join?' he asked Elektra, rolling up the dark green sleeves of his wooden jumper. The demigod accepted, relieved to escape any opportunity for awkward silences, and Millie and Ginny closed the door on their way out, leaving the four new first years together.

* * *

'SNAP' screamed Elektra, Kat and Arty, all jabbing their wands at the pile of cards in the middle of the table.

'Snap…?'. Rosie's wand slowly tapped the top of the pile a good few seconds later, causing a whole new round of laughter to ensue.

'How do you manage to be so bad at this game?' Kat gasped through her cackles.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she joked, holding her chin up in defiance. 'I obviously have superior talent when it comes to Exploding Sn-AH!'. All four first years jumped a foot in the air as the cards promptly detonated, leaving the compartment clouded with dark smoke. A series of suggestions about what to do ensued, and Kat lifted the latch on the window, opening it to air out the space. The smile slid off her face, turning into a combination of worry and curiosity.

'What's that?' she said, pointing at a dark cloaked figure floating towards the train. The train juddered to a stop. Arty peered out the window and his eyes turned the size of saucers. 'I think that's a Dementor. They're the sort of creature you hear about as Halloween horror stories; the guards of Azkaban. It's said that to receive the Dementor's Kiss is to receive a fate worse than death'.

'What's Azkaban?' whimpered Rosie, the only muggleborn of the group.

'It's the Wizarding prison.' explained Kat. She gasped as something clicked in her brain. 'I bet that's why they're here. I _bet_ they're looking for Sirius Black!'

That caught Elektra's attention. 'I don't care what Sirius Black did or did not do. Nobody deserves to have their souls sucked out of their bodies', she growled bitterly. Rosie was looking all the more alarmed by the second.

'I agree,' responded Arty. 'Punishing someone for murder by murdering makes no sense. It makes the Ministry just as bad as the criminal, despite the fact that they get the Dementors to do the dirty work. If there's anything I hate more than patronising adults, it's hypocrites, and the Ministry is the definition of both'.

'They're getting closer' stated Rosie. She was visibly shivering, hugging her knees to her chest. Elektra quickly noticed that her teeth were also chattering, and goosebumps had erupted along her arms. Their breath was now coming out as a mist. Suddenly, a Dementor swooped down towards their open window and into the compartment. It hovered above the cowering children before fixing it attention on Elektra and swooping down towards her. The girl felt a tight pull from her chest and a warm pulse, as if something was about to be ripped out of her. She tensed all her muscles in a bid to hold on to it, making her feel suffocated. The thing being tugged from her seemed to burn her insides despite the freezing temperatures she was experiencing from the outside. The memory of a painful argument with Alfie etched itself on her brain as he told her she was 'unwanted' and 'forgotten', just like every other unclaimed demigod. She took no notice of the stray tear running down her cheek. Hundreds of other saddening memories flashed past her until she could't keep up. 'STOP IT,' she cried, 'PLEASE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS'. The pull remained exactly the same for a second or two before she was released, left panting and sweating on seat. She opened her eyes just in time to see the creature slip out of sight, but closed them again, pulling her knees in towards her and resting her head on them. She paid little attention to the footsteps coming down the hall and the man's voice coming from the doorway, gently encouraging them to 'eat some chocolate' before heading away again. She hardly noticed as Millie forcedly pulled the compartment door open and tackled her sister in a hug, muttering creative curses at the Ministry. She was entirely engrossed in own thoughts. They had started out fearful, Elektra terrified of what fate would face her father if the Dementors caught him, but these emotions morphed into anger and determination. Her father would not endure this fate. Not by her watch.

She lifted her eyes once more, ignoring the worrying glances of the others. 'Here', Arty offered her a chocolate frog. 'It will warm you up'. Electra took it gratefully, having forgotten until that point that she was still shivering.

'You should change into your robes' Millie said, noticing that none of the compartment were changed. 'We should be at Hogsmeade soon'.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well apparently in my world one week means one month.. I'M SO SORRY. As I said last time I uploaded, it's been hectic recently. I'll try and upload the next chapter (the one which I am yet to rewrite half of... I'll get on that :o) either today or tomorrow (I'm now on xmas hols so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge!). I have so much to say for this story so while it may not be uploaded as regularly as we all would like I promise it's not going anywhere!**  
 **Keep reviewing, following and favouriting because it is such an incentive to write! And thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed - your comments make me so so happy!**  
 **Enjoy!**

* * *

'Firs' Years, over 'ere!' boomed a familiar voice over the hustle and bustle of the students. The prefects were lining the carriages, crowded by their impatient friends as they shooed away first years enquiring about their luggage.

'Oh my god, that man is tall!' squealed Rosie. A chorus of 'that's Hagrid!'s broke out among the other three, each gibbering loudly about him to Rosie in an attempt to seem the most knowledgeable.

'He's a big friendly giant. He took me to Diagon Alley!'

'He carries around this big pink umbrella, but people swear its magical…'

'Apparently he likes to make rock cakes so hard they break your teeth!'

'Ah, how are ye', Elektra?' Hagrid greeted when the four first years reached him. 'And you mus' be Kat,' he grinned at the girl with frizzy plaits. 'Yer sister was very excited about ye' joinin' Hogwarts, ye' know'. The girl beamed, providing a very impressive display of her teeth. Hagrid turned his attention to Arty. 'And am I right in saying tha' you are Edwin Franks' boy?' His questions was returned with a quick nod of the head, the boy obviously pleased at having ben recognised. 'Arthur, right? Ye' look just like your father when he was young' Hagrid chucked. 'And who might you be?' he asked the last of the group kindly.

'I'm Rosie', she answered. 'Sorry, Rosie Randalls. I'm not used to this whole surname malarkey. We don't use formalities very often in the muggle world,' she explained.

'Ah, that's why I couldn't place ye' name. Don't you worry, Rosie. There are hundreds of other muggleborns here. Ye'll pick everythin' up in no time'.

The four followed Hagrid near the front of the group that had quickly gathered, splitting off from the rest of the student body. As they wound through a cluster of trees, hugging their robes around them to protect from the chilly breeze, the four got into a conversation about the sorting and the houses; how it worked, what each house represents, where they would most like to end up.

'My sister said that they put you through a series of tests in front of the whole school during the sorting. What if I completely embarrass myself?' groaned Kat.

'Tests?!' shrieked Rosie. 'If _you're_ going to embarrass yourself, think how awful _I_ would be! I don't know _anything_ about magic!'

Arty rationalised, 'I highly doubt they would give us a test out of the blue on display to the entire student body. None of us know much magic other than what the textbooks say, and even then I doubt many people have read them'.

Rosie was still looking a little unsure, so Elektra jumped on the bandwagon. 'My da- mum said that it's tradition to keep the sorting a mystery, but if it was going to be anything too terrible none of the magical parents who had been to Hogwarts would want their kids to do it. I doubt we need to worry'

Their conversation came to a halt as they came to a sudden stop, Kat bouncing off Hagrid who was in front of her. The big man didn't seem to notice a thing, but the other three did and were forced to keep their laughter silent as Hagrid shouted out 'four to a boat!', and Kat, Elektra, Rosie and Arty grabbed one another's wrists and darted to the dock, joining the frantic scramble as all the other first years did the same.

There was a chorus of gasps as the castle came into view. It sat regally above them, the orange lights in the windows beckoning them forwards. This was Hogwarts; the legendary school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the place where most of the UK's magical population went to school, the place where her father had had the best years of his life. It was beautiful and magnificent. Despite the grey stone and the dark evening sky the place seemed alive and welcoming. Elektra had to resist the urge to start paddling the boat to make it get there quicker. 'If anyone falls in right now and slows us down I will personally make sure they become the Giant Squids next dinner' Kat growled.

* * *

A very small man who had introduced himself as Professor Flitwick stood at the top of the entrance hall stairway, lecturing the new first years about the Hogwarts houses and the sorting in a very squeaky voice. A tuft of grey hair sat upright on the top of his head.

'My experience of the wizarding world so far has been an incredibly large man and an incredibly short man,' Rosie whispered out the corner of her mouth. 'Is this what happens to all men who go to Hogwarts? Arty, if I were you I would run away, quick before you sign the contract!' she continued with false terror.

'You have a point,' reasoned Kat. 'And isn't it usually Professor McGonagall who welcomes the first years? I wonder where she's at?'

'Oh! Is that the really stern woman with a bun tight enough to rival the Trunchbull's?' asked Rosie. Elektra snorted.

'I have no clue who 'the Trunchbull' is, but the rest of the description sounds pretty accurate'

Rosie gasped. 'You've never seen Matilda?! It's one of the most iconic films of all time!' Kat frowned, obviously confused about the term 'film'.

Elektra explained. 'I'm sorry to tell you, Rosie, but wizards don't have films. The magic messes up muggle technology.'

'What?! No films?! You may as well bury me now. I can feel my heart breaking to pieces in here' she whispered with mock aggression, jabbing a finger at her chest. 'Tell me you've at least _read_ one of Roald Dahl's books!'

'Who's Roald Dahl?' replied Kat, hiding a smirk of amusement. 'I mean it, seriously. If 'Roald Dahl' is that good I want to read one!'

Rosie gave a sigh of defeat and began fishing about in the pockets of her robe. 'Because I'm muggleborn, Professor McGonagall came to my house to deliver my Hogwarts letter. She explained some stuff about the school and mentioned the fact that it has a very, _very_ big library. If it is as grand as she let on, it _must_ have a section for Muggle Literature. If this area exists, which it had better, then I would be astounded if it does not include at least _one_ of Roald Dahl's books. He is a legendary author-'

'As legendary as Bathilda Bagshot?' piped in Arty.

'Who's that? Oh yeah, she wrote one of our school books… seriously - are the only books the wizarding world reads non-fiction? Ah. Here it is,'

She took a break from her rant, took Kat's hand, and scribbled the words 'Roald Dahl' onto her palm with a pen she had dug out of her pocket.

'What's that?' Kat said, suspiciously eyeing up the biro in Rosie's hand.

'Har har, very funny'

'She's not kidding, Rosie. The wizarding world uses quills, remember' Elektra reminded her, thoroughly enjoying the current series of events. 'You did buy some quills and ink, right?'

Rosie froze for a second, then answered very slowly, 'Yes, I did. But I'm planning on using it only if absolutely necessary. There was a reason for muggles to invent pens, and that's because quills are a useless waste of time, money, and effort.'

'And here I was, believing you to be a mild mannered, sweet tempered girl' joked Kat.

'Oh, when it comes to books and practicality there is nothing to be joked about' replied Rosie in a humorously menacing voice. 'Wait - everyone's starting to walk in. I wasn't listening to a thing Professor Flitwick said and now I'm going to make an absolute fool out of myself in front of everybody!'

'Woah there, calm down,' Arty said. 'I know none of you three were listening, so I took it upon myself to do all the listening for you-'

'But you were joining in with our conversation too,' frowned Kat.

'It's called multi-tasking my dear,' he said loftily, 'an amazing talent, I know. Anyway, there's not really much to tell you. When your name gets called, you walk up to the stall, the hat gets placed on your head, and whichever house it calls out, you head over to that table. The tables are clearly marked so you won't accidentally go to the wrong one, and do try your best not to trip over your robes. You're quite near the end of the alphabet anyway, Rosie, so if in doubt just copy what everyone else has done'

'I'm not!' Elektra cried. 'I'm one of the first! Oh my gods, I'm suddenly really, _really_ nervous. Hey, look!', she nudged Kat. 'My hands are shaking'.

'You'll be fine!' Kat replied (although failing miserably to hide her own nerves). 'At least you'll get yours done and dusted'.

The doors to the grand hall burst open and the first years were led inside. A trail of whispers carried their way towards her. 'Woah, look at the ceiling!', 'Where's the roof?' and 'The stars are making me dizzy' were three phrases that seemed particularly common. Elektra began examining the staff table at the front, trying desperately to ignore the faces of the older students staring at them. 'Hey, look! It's Dumbledore!' she whispered. Even Rosie knew how famous their headmaster was, and they all tried to get a good glimpse at him around the heads in front of them.

'Professor McGonagall isn't there' noted Rosie.

'But there is an empty seat' Arty pointed out. 'She's probably busy or ill or something'.

'Oh my-' gasped Elektra, stopping for a millisecond and almost making Kat trip over her robes.

'Hey!' Kat cried in a humorous tone. 'You almost ruined my image for the next seven years! What's so important that you had to almost make me fall?'.

'Four seats in from the left, old clothes, looks kind of ill-'

'Yes?'

'Remus. Lupin. I'm sure of it'

'Who?'

'Remus Lupin. An old friend of my, uh, parents-'

'He came into our compartment earlier, on the train. He seemed pretty nice-'

'He came in? When?'

'You were uh, kind of curled up on the seat. The dementors had just come in. He was the person who gave us all the chocolate'

'Ah, that makes sense'

'I think he's the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Why don't you just go up to him after the lesson and say hi?'

'Because,' Elektra took a deep breath. 'He doesn't know I exist but I've wanted to meet him for so long but he cant know who I am and I really hope he's been doing OK because he's had it pretty rough-'. Elektra took a deep breath. 'Holy moly, mother of Mary, I was not expecting this'.

'Why can't he know who you are?'

'Family issues'

'And why on _earth_ did you say 'Holy moly, mother of Mary?'

'Hey, shut up'

'Well, if he doesn't know about you then all you have to do is pretend not to know about _him_ ', rationalised Arty. 'Problem sorted. He won't give a second glance if you act _normal_ , but what you're doing right now, you know, hyperventilating and staring right at him with eyes the size of saucers, not to mention the fact that you haven't blinked since you noticed him, is definitely going to get his attention'.

'Ok, you're right-'

'As always'

Elektra snorted.

'Just head over there and pretend there's nothing to-'

'Atticus, Robert' came the squeaking voice of the charms professor.

'HUFFLEPUFF'

The sorting had started.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: For this chapter, all past chapters and all future chapters. Only about 10% my characters and 20% my story line. The rest belongs to Uncle Rick and Queen J.K.**

 **(Wheeey I managed to upload the next chapter within a few hours! I didn't realise it was only half written as well as half lost, so there was a lot more to do to it than i originally thought. Here you go!)**

 **Enjoy x**

* * *

'Black, Elektra'

Elektra chest tightened as she heard her name. 'Good luck!' whispered Kat. Rosie gave her a thumbs up, and Arti gave her a small push in the direction of the stool. Elektra let out a long breath and tried to look as calm as possible as she sat down, refusing to look at any of the students' faces, but she didn't have to work too hard at this as only a second later her vision was blinded by the hat falling in front of her eyes.

A voice resonated in her skull, and it took all of Elektra's demigod training to force her body not to jump. 'Well isn't this a surprise', it said. 'Who knew that Mr Sirius Black had a child?' the voice said.

'I had a vague idea myself...' Elektra thought to herself, mentally rolling her eyes. 'Who knew that the Sorting Hat could speak?'

'Ah, a witty mind I see. Similar to your father. It's a shame how he turned out, isn't it. He had so much potential'

Elektra felt a protective sensation sweep over her and the accusations, too caught up in what the Hat had said to notice that it had understood her thoughts.

The girl could almost hear the Hat's smirk. 'Fierce loyalty. Now we're getting somewhere'

She took a deep breath to control her emotions. It was testing her, she realised. It was pushing her to the limits to see how she would react.

'You are a smart one, aren't you. Let's take a look at your heritage. Mmm, yes. A demigod'. Every pinnacle of Elektra's attention was captured. 'Don't worry, your secret is safe with me.' the Hat replied in a bored tone of voice. 'As if I don't have better things to do than spew everybody's secrets. I have songs to write, for Merlin's sake'. The Hat started humming the tune which it has sung before the sorting.

'Sorry to break up the fun, but can you please hurry up with the sorting?' Elektra mentally hissed, becoming conscious of the time she had spent on that stool.

'Ooh, how chivalrously asked! That's another trait ticked off the list' the Hat exclaimed. 'Well... demigods tend to be marginally braver than the average human, a trait to which you are no exception... although there was one of your kind recently who shared none of that. Strange.' The hat went silent for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought.

'Carry on' Elektra begged.

'Ah, yes. You're a tremendously hard worker - when you want to be' he added at Elektra's confusion. 'If you're not interested then there's no hope, but if you are you'll run yourself down hacking away at it. You can be cunning too, but not to the extreme. And you don't have the drive or ambition of most Slytherins. That narrows it down to Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor - yes, you're sharp witted as I've already said, but you don't view knowledge as the greatest gift. I'm not sure you'd feel quite at home with the Eagles. You certainly strive to be kindhearted, you work hard as previously mentioned, and you're intensely loyal, yet loyalty is also a Gryffindor trait. You feel devalued without recognition for your acts whereas most Hufflepuffs are happy to be behind the scenes, and you can be reckless. You value those who show bravery above all else. I think it must be -'

'GRYFFINDOR'

The students and teachers of the Great Hall clapped, but Elektra hardly heard the noise as the hat was lifted off her head and she was ushered down the steps, passing the next first year in line and giving her a small smile. She sat down at the long table decked out in scarlet and gold, the first of the new Gryffindors, and thought though what the Hat had told her about herself. She couldn't wait to tell her dad; he would be so proud of her.

Elektra glanced down the table, taking in the faces that belonged to Gryffindor. Much to her delight, she noticed five familiar ones, all topped with a mop of red hair. It seemed as though Gryffindor was the Weasley family house, a fact which Elektra was definitely pleased about. Her eyes scanned the hall, locking with Draco's for a second. He gave her a small smile and a subtle shake of the head before averting his gaze, clapping politely as a first year was sorted into Slytherin.

'Hey, Elektra' came a murmur from a few seats down.

'Oh, Hey Ginny!'

'Congratulations on Gryffindor. You haven't seen Harry or Hermione have you?'

'No, sorry. Have you asked Ron?'

'Yeah... He said they were whisked off by McGonagall but I assumed they'd be back by now...'

'Crowthorne, Katherine'

'It's Kat!' squealed Millie, trapping Ginny's shoulder at an impressive speed. The three averted their attention towards the sorting. After a tense few moments, the Sorting Hat made its decision.

'GRYFFINDOR!'

The table cheered, Millie, Ginny, and Elektra particularly loudly, and Kat ran back down the steps to join them, grinning from ear to ear. She plopped herself down next to Elektra, and the two waited anxiously for Arti and Rosie's sortings.

'Donaughall, Benedict... SLYTHERIN!'

'Elvenstalk, Jeffery... HUFFLEPUFF!'

More and more new first years joined their tables as the alphabet continued until;

'Franks, Arthur...' The pair of new Gryffindor first years waited with bated breath.

'RAVENCLAW!'

Elektra cheered loudly, flashing him a big, reassuring grin from across the hall, but her feelings were mixed.

'I guess it was too much to ask for us to all be in the same house' sighed Kat.

'Mmm... but I can see why he fits into Ravenclaw. I mean, we've only known him one day and his pursuit of knowledge is already evident' Elektra replied.

'True. Hey, let's work extra hard to make sure that we stay friends with him even though he's in a different house. Same goes for Rosie if she's not a Gryffindor either'.

'Deal'.

The pair shook on it then turned their heads back to the sorting, ready to greet the next new Gryffindor.

The crowd of new first years was getting shorter and shorter when 'Randalls, Rosalia' was called.

 _Come on, Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, Gryffindor of Ravenclaw,_ Elektra begged with crossed fingers.

'RAVENCLAW!'

Elektra let out a sigh of relief. 'I was really hoping her extensive knowledge of literature would put her there'

'Me too,' replied Kat. 'This will make things a lot easier - two of us in each house'

They watched the rest of the sorting merrily, listened intently to Dumbledore's speech, and greedily tucked into the feast.

* * *

After the house ghosts made their entrances and scared the new students halfway into next year, introductions were made, stories shared, and excitement spread between the first years. There were evidently more of them this year than there had been previously, and Elektra suspected it had a lot to do with the downfall of Voldemort. As this thought passed her mind she snuck a glance down the table at where the third years were sitting and spotted two faces that hadn't been there previously. Harry and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table next to Ron who was evidently enjoying his meal. Elektra caught Ginny's attention and nodded towards the trio, a gesture that was returned with a kind smile and a thumbs up. The redhead made to slide out of her seat before changing her mind and sitting down again, a blush reddening her ears. Elektra decided to pay it no mind and turned back to the first years' conversation, but their conversation suddenly seemed much more hushed than before, a few stifled giggles cutting through the whispers. The Gryffindor first years all seemed to be looking not at one another but past Elektra's shoulder, quite obviously at The-Boy-Who-Lived. Elektra frowned and made to say something, but Ginny got there first.

'Wow. Make it more obvious will you? I don't think Harry has noticed _himself_ sitting there yet' she hissed.

Everyone quickly averted their gaze, giggling and blushing, and Harry mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Ginny, who was quickly turning the colour of her hair. He saw Elektra and gave her a quick wave of recognition before turning back to his conversation with Ron and Hermione.

'Woah - was that - Did _Harry Potter_ just wave at you?' gasped Ursula Fenwick, the first year Gryffindor sitting next to Elektra.

'Yeah. I was staying at the Leaky Cauldron last night and he, the Weasleys and Hermione over there were staying too, so we all had dinner together'. She continued eating as she spoke, trying to seem nonchalant, but in reality she was immensely enjoying the feelings of admiration emitting from the other first years. The others saw her as more experienced, having had dinner with people from older year groups, particularly Harry Potter and the Head Boy, Percy, and it made her feel as if she was really wanted, not to mention older and a little superior. They all hounded her with their questions.

'Was he nice?'

'Did you see his scar up close?'

'What were the others like?'

'It is true that he has a tattoo of You-Know-Who on his bicep?'

'What did he eat?'

Elektra rolled her eyes in good humour. 'I can't remember what he ate. Why don't you go and ask _him_ after the feast. He's perfectly friendly and is just as normal as you or me. And no, Ursula, I highly doubt he has a tattoo of You-Know-Who on his bicep'.

Having stuffed themselves past their limits with copious amounts of Yorkshire pudding, and chocolate fudge cake, the first years followed the beckoning prefects and trudged off to their respective dormitories, closely followed by the older years. The Hufflepuffs and Slytherins quickly dispersed from the large cluster of students, heading down to the dungeons, but the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors carried on through the entrance hall and towards the huge staircases. Elektra and Kat searched for Arti and Rosie in the crowd and the four used the short time they had before splitting off to obsess over the amazing feast.

'I never knew that something with the name 'pumpkin juice' could taste so dreamy' Rosie sighed.

'I think I'm going to be sick after all that food,' Kat grimaced, clutching her stomach, 'but it is so totally worth it'.

* * *

The Gryffindors followed a separate set of stairs to the Ravenclaws and traipsed through at least fifteen corridors, up six flights of stairs, and passed hundreds of bustling portraits and clanking suits of armour until they reached an oil painting of a very large woman. She was plucking green grapes off their vine looking incredibly bored.

'You really took your time this year' she huffed, blowing out her already round cheeks.

A fifth year prefect turned around to face the group of Gryffindors which ranged from first to seventh years. 'This is the Fat Lady-', the Fat Lady grumbled a little under her breath at the title she had been given, 'She guards the portal hole into the Gryffindor Common room- You, in the back with the green tie, whats your name?'

Everybody turned around, and at the focus of everybody's gaze was a small blond boy in a Slytherin tie, staring wide eyed at the sea of red and gold in front of him.

'George Raxom' he said in a voice that hardly passed a whisper.

'Are you in first year?'

The boy nodded.

'What are you doing here? You're clearly in Slytherin'

The boy started to blush deeply, and every body strained their ears to her his answer.

'I accidentally followed the wrong group'

The prefect narrowed his eyes in suspicion. 'We split off from the Slytherins before the first set of stairs. You've had about twenty minutes to say something... You were put up to this, weren't you? To find out our password.'

A chorus of 'oohs' and gasps came from the crowd outside the common room as they followed the train of thought. Elektra hadn't realised that it was humanly possible, but the poor boy's eyes had grown even larger.

The prefect continued. 'I bet it was Corinth, or Parris... Oh, I know, Malfoy!'

Elektra looked up. The boy swallowed.

'I knew it. What should we do with him?' the prefect asked his partner. Unfortunately, the whole group heard, and everyone started throwing suggestions his way.

'Leave him out here. He can follow us all again in the morning on our way to breakfast'.

'Let him find his own way back. If he gets lost, he gets lost. It's his fault he's at the wrong side of the school in the first place'

'Oh, come _on_ ,' defied Hermione. 'He's just a first year. It's his first night at Hogwarts. Even if he was put up to it, we don't have to terrorise the poor thing. Let's just take him back to his common room and be done with it'

'Who's going to take him?' challenged the prefect. 'Does anyone even know where the Slytherin common room is?'

'It's in the dungeons!' someone else shouted.

'We all know it's in the dungeons, but the dungeons are pretty huge. And curfew is coming up. We don't want to get detentions on the first nigh backt'.

'We'll go!' shouted two voices. It was the Weasley twins. One of them continued, 'we know where the Snakes' den is, and we like to make a habit of getting the first detentions of the year'

'Ron and Harry stole it from us last year but we're determined to get our streak back', the other continued. Elektra looked over at the pair of topic. Harry was looking determinedly at the floor, but Ron seemed to be wearing a look of pride on his freckled face.

'I won't ask how you know where their common room is, but I guess that's the best plan we have. Someone should go with them. I don't trust those two on their own with a first year'

'We'll take Harry,' one of the twins decided. 'He has a knack for getting out of trouble'.

Hermione and Ron snorted. 'Merlin's beard, you're kidding right?' The twins' brother exclaimed.

Harry piped in, 'if Snape catches me out after curfew lurking by the Slytherin common room he'd have a field day. I wouldn't be out of detention until seventh year'

'Take a prefect. Then you have someone with respectability with you' Hermione suggested.

'Are you suggesting we have no respectability?!' gasped one of the twins.

'You hurt my feelings, Granger' sighed the other dramatically. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'I will go' said Percy with authority. 'After all, I'm-'

'Head Boy, yes, we know' continued the twin. 'Come on, lets go. The rest Gryffindor can't get to bed until we've left with the Snake. Wish us luck' he joked. With a wink and nod of his head in the direction away from the portrait hole, the twin's two brothers followed, Percy ushering the first year Slytherin along with them.

The prefect craned his neck to make sure the group of four were out of earshot before continuing, 'As I was about to say before the interruption, the password is Fortuna Major. Don't forget it or you'll have to sit outside and wait for someone to come along and open it...'.

Elektra stopped listening and leant towards Kat. 'That whole thins was kind of unnecessary wasn't it? Our prefect was being really mean' she murmured.

'Agreed,' Kat pouted. 'I knew the house rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin was bad, but that boy did nothing wrong. I wonder how Slytherin will react... Maybe we should sit with him at breakfast tomorrow'

'Good plan' Elektra said, smiling at the thought of tomorrow's good deed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Please please please review, friends! This is the third chapter I have uploaded in two days, so I think this makes up for the month of nothingness right? ;) I'm really enjoying writing this at the moment, (I believe that this chapter, being over 3,600 words says that for itself :o) but reviews make it all the more enjoyable and encourage other people to head over and read it too which would make me very very happy :))))**

 **Enjoy x**

* * *

It was only the next day that Elektra really took in the beauty of the common room. After waking up at seven o'clock in anticipation of the day ahead, filing though the bathroom with her three other roomies, Nancy Bowtruckle, Yasmin Thripp and, thankfully, Kat, and changing into her uniform, Elektra took a seat on the comfy sofa by the fire, taking in her surroundings. There were three couches surrounding the fire, one large one opposite it which Elektra was spread out on, and one enclosing it from either side. A coffee table sat in the middle of the square - it was the perfect height for a foot rest. Other beanbags and seats sat around the room in clusters, and one or two armchairs sat alone in the corners. A few tables and harder chairs were on the parallel side of the room to the fire, some up against the windows looking out over the grounds and others in circular formations, perfect for group assignments. Elektra's other dorms were down in no time, and one by one, other first year Gryffindors joined them, as the 16 of them had all decided to have breakfast together. They had been split into four rooms, a room of four a room of five for the boys, and rooms of four and three for the girls. The other girls room housed Ursula Fenwick, who was dim and obsessed with boys, makeup and fashion, Phillipa Phelps, who was smart and obsessed with boys, makeup and fashion, and Harama Raje, who couldn't care less about boys, makeup an fashion as she was busy occupying herself with her weapon collection containing posters, books, and miniature displays. Elektra was very glad that she had ended up with the other three who seemed slightly more her type, and she could tell her relief was shared by them too.

At 7:30, the nine boys and seven girls made their way through the maze of corridors, over the trick step, round in a total of four accidental circles, and into the Great Hall for breakfast. By now its was ten past eight, but despite this the first years were very proud to have found their way without any help. Professor McGonagall headed along the table, greeting the returning students and introducing herself to the new ones, handing out timetables. Elektra read through hers, smiling at the range of lessons and imaging all the magic she would be learning while stocked her plate up with eggs, beans, toast, and hashbrowns, and pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

'You eat a lot'.

Elektra turned to the person next to her to see who had spoken. It was Harama.

'I'm a growing girl' Elektra joked. She turned away to start up a conversation with Carter, Cory and Kat when she felt a breeze from above and heard a whoosh of air. All four tables looked up at the enchanted ceiling to see an army of owls swooping down, each headed for specific people with Daily Prophet subscriptions, packages of forgotten items from home, and letters. One owl dropped something off for Harama who unwrapped it eagerly.

'Oh! It's my miniature Type CI Horned Sword model!' she exclaimed with excitement. 'I knew my collection didn't quite look complete!'

Elektra glanced over at it then took another bite of her toast. 'That's a Type CII. You can tell because the fuller starts a few inches below the guard rather than directly below it'. She looked up to find herself faced with a number of surprised faces.

'I didn't know you liked swords' noted Harama.

'Nor did I' smirked Kat.

'Maybe you would like to come up and see my collection?' Harm continued.

Elektra sighed. 'I really don't know that much. I just happen to have a friend who is an sword fighting expert who I learnt it all from. But sure, I'll check out your miniatures; make sure you have the terminology correct, but I won't be any help with the modern weapons'.

'Ooh, maybe I would write to that friend of yours!'

Elektra was about to make an excuse for Luke, but then changed her mind. Luke was going to be very confused and it would be hilarious. 'Sure. Send your letter to this place'. Elektra wrote down the CHB address, working hard to stifle her giggles before passing it on to Harama. 'Oh, don't hold back on the questions. He'll be happy to help'.

'And here I was thinking you were just performing an act of kindness. Who knew you had an ulterior motive?' whispered Kat in Elektra's ear.

'Hey, it _was_ an act of kindness... towards Harama anyway. Luke on the other hand.. well...' she smirked, turned back to her breakfast, and was promptly drowned in orange juice. An owl had just skidded onto their table and knocked over her glass. It ruffled its feathers, looked at Elektra expectantly, then stuck out its leg to which was tied a small rectangular package.

'For me?' Elektra frowned. She hadn't ordered anything and no one from camp would know how to get a package to her. Yet the bird hooted irritably, and as Kat agreed, she was sure that meant 'yes'. She untied the string and passed the owl a bacon rasher before it flew off to the owlery. Elektra took the lid off the black box and opened the letter within it.

 _Dear Elektra,_

 _I'll keep this simple, because this will arrive with the morning post and I'm sure you'll have friends around._

 _So, today is your first day at Hogwarts. How time flies. I'm sorry we haven't been able to contact one another, but I'm sure you've heard the news and know why. If you haven't then 1) I should chide you not keeping up with the news - it's important to stay informed about world events (they're boring, I know), and 2) your clue is 'who let the dogs out?!'. I'm short of time and keeping it irritatingly cryptic so if you didn't work that out then use your brain, or are you as dim as big ol' Rodgie-Podgie?_

 _This package contains a little gift as incentive to work hard (or to plan elaborate pranks - I'm not picky), but do use it to write back and tell me which house you're in, and give me a one liner on how you're doing._

 _I'm like a house elf presented with clothes and doing fine, but other than a quick letter in reply (and some hearty Hogwarts food for Snuffles), your father discourages contact between us until the situation blows over._

 _Big hugs,_

 _Padfoot_

A warmth flushed through Elektra's body and she put the letter in her pocket, finding it difficult to contain her broad grin. The writing at the beginning was almost impossible to decipher - not surprising for someone who hadn't written in twelve years - but as the letter progressed it became a little neater. Elektra looked down into the box. Inside was a beautiful emerald quill, the metal engraved with her initials in cursive - E B. Two pots of deep green ink were also nestled in the case, one regular and one labeled 'Spell Checking'. She smiled, knowing her father had specifically chosen it to help with her dyslexia - a side effect of her Ancient Greek blood.

'Ooh, I know that smile. Who's the man?' cooed Kat.

'A family member' Elektra cooed back, laughing at Kat's terrified face. ' _Not_ like that - that would be gross... though most pureblood families seem to think differently...' she shivered. 'I'll just send him a quick reply. Got a napkin?'

Elektra scribbled a quick reply to her dad on the flimsy paper and wrapped up as much food as she could in ten napkins, then took another bulk and dabbed them all over her juice-soaked uniform.

'What's all that for?' Asked Kat, motioning towards the food pile.

'He wanted some Hogwarts food, so _this_ ' Elektra said, showing Kat the bundle of food, 'is my _second_ act of kindness of the day'.

'Oh, shoot!' Kat stood up and gasped. 'Talking of acts of kindness, weren't we going to have breakfast with that Slytherin boy?'.

'Ah, Styx! We can invite him to sit with us tomorrow. Right now we only have twenty five minutes to run back to Gryffindor, have a change of clothes and pack our books before Transfiguration at 9:00'.

'Next time, we're bringing all our stuff down with us' grumbled Kat, grabbing one more croissant to go, as she and Elektra clambered out their seats and took off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

Thankfully the Transfiguration corridor resided on the third floor, only three flights of stairs and two corridors along from the Gryffindor portrait hole, and with the help of directions provided by portraits and older students, the pair made it to the classroom in the nick of time.

'I forgot we were sharing this lesson with the Ravenclaws!' panted Kat as the duo slid into the back of the line that had started to file into the classroom. She had spotted Rosie and Arti heading through the door talking animatedly to one another, and began to squeeze through the gaps to reach them. Elektra followed, catching her break and groaning under the weight of her rucksack.

'Rosie! Arti!' The two Eagles spun around and grinned, greeting the Lions with enthusiasm. The four gravitated towards some of the tables in the front row and found it difficult to take turns explaining their experiences of Hogwarts since the feast last night;

'The common room almost has its own library-'

'It's so warm and cozy, and the views are _amazing_ -'

'The older years created this mentoring system-'

'The Slytherins sent a spy to find out our password-'

Then a hush quickly fell over the class. Professor McGonagall had just stood up. She seemed to have an aura that demanded respect, yet there was a certain kindness behind her eyes too. She cleared her throat, steadied the tall emerald hat atop her head, pointed her wand at her desk, and performed a very delicate movement. In the desk's place place stood a very confused alpaca. The classed 'oooh'd and 'ahhhh'd, and with another flick of the Professor's wand wand it was gone.

'Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,' she said purposefully. 'Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned'.

'Do you get the feeling she opens with the same thing every year?' whispered Elektra to Kat, who was sitting to her left.

'Oh, most definitely. It was so well rehearsed I bet she practices it in front of the mirror'.

Professor McGonagall continued. 'You will not be practicing complex Transfiguration like the one I have just performed-', ('Oh, she _performed_ it all right', Kat giggled. 'Maybe she's a failed audition for the Weird Sisters'), 'for a while yet,' the professor proceeded, becoming aware of the two Gryffindor first years suppressing their chuckles. 'Are you two quite alright down there?' she asked pointedly, fixing her stern eyes on the pair of them.

'Absolutely fine, Professor,' Elektra replied airily, taking a deep breath to stifle her laughter.

Kat took it upon herself to continue, unable to keep her newest addition to the joke to herself. 'We were just concerned about how worried that alpaca looked. I think he had-...' a fresh burst of laughter erupted from her, and she took a number of deep breaths so she could let out the punch line. 'I think he had _stage fright_ ' she just about managed to wheeze out, before both she and Elektra broke down in an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

Professor McGonagall, however, was not laughing along with them. Instead she was thin lipped, watching them in displeasure over the rim of her glasses. The two quickly reigned in their laughing fit and looked back towards her, wide-eyed, yet their lips still twitched and their diaphragms pulsed.

'As I said before, anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. Did I make myself clear?'

'Yes Professor'

'Would you like to share the... joke... with the class?'

Elektra took it upon herself to jump in before Kat could make her laugh again. 'Sorry Professor. We just sprinted from the Great Hall to our dorm to this lesson. I think our brains are a little oxygen deprived right now. It won't happen again'.

'I should hope not, or you will not be as lucky in terms of punishment as you were today. I will see you both after the lesson, and a point will be deducted from each of you'.

'Yes Professor' they replied simultaneously, forcing themselves not to look one another in the eye.

'Now, disruption aside, we will be focusing on the basic theory of Transfiguration today, and perhaps, in the last ten minutes, we will try turning a match into a needle - a task which we will continue next lesson. Every aspect of transfiguration follows the Transformation Formula which is made up of five components; bodyweight (a), viciousness (v), wand power (w), concentration (c), and a fifth unknown variable (Z). You will be unable to successfully transfigure any object without an understanding of this...'

'I actually really enjoyed that!' said Elektra, skipping with excitement after her first lesson. Everyone was packing their books back into their bags and passing their matches and needles to the end of the rows.

'Of course you would,' sighed Arti. 'You were the third person to transfigure your match right after Tristan and Remiah Jefferson, and both their mum and dad are transfiguration theorists, so they're bound to have tried it before'.

'You weren't half bad yourself, Arti,' Elektra reassured him. 'You managed to transfigure yours at least five times both ways before the lesson ended. There were at least ten people who didn't get any further than watching it roll off the desk time and time again'

'We should probably leave you two to it. Professor McGonagall wanted to see you, remember?' Rosie reminded them. 'I still can't believe you managed to lose points in your first ever lesson. You're a bad influence' she joked, following Arti out the door.

Elektra and Kat were the last two in the room, and they stalled time by collecting up all the remaining matches and needles before heading over to McGonagall's desk, their heads hanging low.

'I must say that I am deeply disappointed with your behaviour this morning. I do not want to hear of similar complaints by other teachers. However, I know you were badly affected by the Dementors yesterday and it is good to see that you have not been too harmed by their affects, which is the only reason you have been let off with such light a sentence,'

The two Gryffindors must have looked surprised that she knew about the ordeal on the train, as the professor took one look at their faces and replied, 'I am your Head of House. It is my duty to know about such things'. She then turned her attention to Elektra. 'Talking of Head of House duties, the two of us have something to discuss, I believe'.

'Huh? Oh. That.'

'Yes, that. Now, if you wouldn't mind excusing us Miss Crowthorne. Miss Black will meet you in your next lesson'

Kat looked to Elektra. 'Do you want me to wait outside?'

McGongall replied. 'I think that would be unnecessary Miss Crowthorne. Now head on down to break', she said, shooing her out the room.

'I'll save you a biscuit!' Kat called out as she was ushered through the door.

The professor summoned a seat towards the desk and sat down on the opposite side. 'Take a seat Elektra'. The demigod complied. 'You did very well in the lesson today'

The girl frowned. Maybe she had misunderstood the professor's motives. 'Thank you, Professor'.

'Do you know who else was very talented at Transfiguration?'

Maybe not.

'I'm not entirely sure I understand, Professor'.

'Your father'

Definitely not.

'Sirius Black was, and I'm sure still is, a very gifted Wizard' the Transfiguration teacher continued.

'I'm guessing Professor Dumbledore told you then'

'It was part of the deal, as I'm sure you know'

'I do'

There was an awkward silence.

'Would you like some tea, Elektra?'

'Uh, yeah. Sure'. It would give her something to do other than sit and stare. Elektra's Head of House waved her wand, and a tea set appeared before them.

'I thought you couldn't conjure food and drink. Doesn't it defy um... Grump's Law?'

'You are very close,' replied the professor, smiling a little. 'It's called Gamp;s Law of Elemental Transfiguration. Where did you learn that?'

'I found it in the Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1'. She looked impressed.

'A very useful book, that one'. McGongall took sip of her tea. 'As much as I'm sure you wish to avoid it, we must discuss the topic of your father, Elektra' she said, her voice seeming to hold a drop of pity. _This topic never ends well_ , thought Elektra bitterly. She would rather be down in the Great Hall right now with her new friends, meeting new people and hypothesising about what the next class would hold. Defence Against the dark Arts with Professor Lupin. _Remus Lupin_. Elektra sat up straight, a look of terror encapsulating her features.

'I have Defence Against the Dark Arts next,' she stressed.

'Elektra, we must get back on topic' stated McGonagall firmly. Elektra paid her no mind.

'with _Remus. Remus Lupin._ He'll recognise me, Professor. He'll guess who I am and then he'll freak because he doesn't know I _exist_ but he'll guess. He's too smart not to. I mean, I don't exactly look _dissimilar_ to my dad and they knew each other so well for so long, and he'll think _he_ did it! Then _Snape._ Oh Hades, he'll hate me like he hates Harry, because apparently he's _brutal_ to Harry, and we all know why that is. Snape is bound to work out who I am, I mean he sure hated my father enough to want revenge on him twenty plus years later' Elektra was standing up now, pacing the length of the classroom. 'Merlin, what did I get myself into?! _Why did I even agree to come here in the first place_?!'. She stopped, staring at McGonagall with a look of wild panic in her eyes. She was panting, the fight-or-flight induced rant having exhausted her.

There was a moment of quiet during which students could be heard out by the lake, making the most of the remaining summer warmth.

'Take a seat, Elektra' Professor McGonagall said quietly, calmly. The girl flopped back down into the chair. 'Allow me to reassure you that no one but myself and the Headmaster will know of your family tree'

'And Hagrid' Elektra supplied.

'Hagrid?'

'Ollivander mentioned it when I got my wand and Hagrid was there with me'.

'You can trust Hagrid,' McGonagall reassured her. 'But tell me this: how do you know about the relations between Professor Lupin, Professor Snape and Sirius Black anyhow?'

Elektra froze, the realisation of what she had subconsciously let slip unfolding before her.

'Go on' prodded the Professor.

A myriad of possible routes raced through the demigod's mind in a few short milliseconds. She could lie, say it was rumours she had heard around the school. Or she could tell the truth. There was nothing they could do about it now, anyway, and perhaps it would help her prove that Sirius was not the psychopathic monster everyone believed him to be.

She took a deep breath.

'My father and I, we.. we have a connection of sorts'

McGonagall raised one eyebrow, and took another slurp of her tea. 'And whom might this connection be?' she questioned.

'It's not a whom. It's a what. It allows us to talk to one another through our dreams, but it's stopped working since he escaped. I guess it worked partially due to location, so I don't know any more about his whereabouts than you do. All I know is that he is no longer in Azkaban, and I think everyone has guessed so much already'

'It allows you to talk to one another? Is that safe? Maybe we should get your mind checked by Madam Pomphrey for any disturbances.'

'No! And as I said, it's stopped working anyway. Nevertheless, he's an innocent man, Professor!'

The woman merely sighed, and it irritated Elektra to the bone. 'You didn't see the damage he inflicted Miss Black. His innocence is not something for an eleven year old to decide'

'Maybe if people listened to eleven year olds than Harry, Ron and Hermione wouldn't have had to find the philosopher's stone by themselves' Elektra muttered.

Professor McGonagall decided not to hear that comment.

'About that connection between the two of you. What kind of magic is it?' she questioned.

'Very ancient magic, Professor. Both very ancient and very new. I think my father and I were a trial run relying on thousands of years of experience to pull off'

'I don't understand what you mean, Elektra'

'Did Dumbledore not tell you about my mother too?'

'Only that you're hiding your father's heritage by switching their roles; calling her a half-blood Hogwarts alumna and your father an American muggle - a no-maj as they call them there I believe'.

'Thinking back on it, that part of my life never came up in our letters. Apparently he knows everything about all of his students anyway though, so I guess I didn't need to say anything, but Madam Pomphrey should probably keep a small supply of ambrosia and nectar just in case...'

'What on earth are you on about, Miss Black?' McGongall asked, resigned.

'Do we have time? This may take a while'.

'I'm not teaching until after lunch, and I'll let Professor Lupin know you're with me'

And so the conversation about Elektra's father became a conversation about Elektra's mother, and the life that the demigod lived in America.


	8. Chapter 8

**Turns out I messed up McGonagall's timetabling a bit in the last chapter. In cannon she has a lesson with the third years between the first lesson and lunch, so I guess we'll just pretend she has a time turner because she's a boss-ass witch ;)**

 **Also I wanted to get this chapter posted on Christmas Eve but it wasn't quite finished yet, and since then I have had hardly any time to write! Anyway, here you go. Merry belated Christmas (or Hanukah since I'm technically Jewish, or anything else for that matter) and a Happy New Year!**

* * *

Elektra wandered aimlessly through the castle's magnificent hallways. She had left McGonagall's office with only ten minutes of Defence Against the Dark Arts to spare; no where near enough time to find her way there. She sighed, dragging her fingers across the wall and looking intently at the ancient stone, wondering who else had done the same over the years that this school had been running. Slow, heavy footsteps at the end of the corridor behind her caught Elektra's attention. They were accompanied by slightly uneven, quicker footsteps as if someone had to keep jogging to catch up, and a loud, authoritative voice.

'Just you wait until my father hears about this. That fat oaf, a professor? Durmstrang would never allow such a ridiculous squib to teach. This merely adds to the long list of reasons that Dumbledore must step down. My father has been saying if for years. He has completely lost his mind'

Elektra scowled. What had happened to Draco, she had no clue. He used to be friendly and brotherly, always the logical one when ideas became too far-fetched. He was smart and ambitious, as all children of Athena were, yet he held a strong sense of self-preservation that seemed to cancel out his mother's warrior aspects that were so clearly evident in Annabeth. _But perhaps his behaviour at CHB was a better representation of who he truly is,_ Elektra thought to herself. She knew how pompous the Malfoy family were; her father had told her - Hades! They were in-laws! _Related to Draco on two levels_ , she realised. Perhaps he had to change how he acted at home to keep up appearances. Perhaps he felt like he had to try to show his pureblood pride even harder to make up for not being a true British pureblood wizard. _In a pureblood-mania environment like the one he must be subject to at home, I can't blame him_ , she sighed. The owners of the noise came around the corner. _Although how he got himself stuck with Crabbe and Goyle, I have no idea_ , Elektra sympathised, imaging his irritation.

'Oi, you, firstie!' called out a gruff voice. Elektra turned to face them, and just in the nick of time. 'Petrificus totalus!'. Using her demigod instincts she swooped under the spell that had just come racing towards her, then, after a split second of realising she couldn't fight back with Hecate's magic, retaliated with the only charm she knew.

'Aguamenti!'

A forceful jet of water routed out the end of her wand, dousing the big bully. The other brute went to raise his wand, but Draco merely swatted his arm away and he lowered it.

'I know the first years are the only people in school who are less capable than you, Goyle, but Black here is pretty much the only one you do not want to get on the wrong side of' Draco said, rolling his eyes.

'Uh, Gryffindor' replied the soaking yet third year.

'Any other Gryffindor is all yours, but leave this one alone' Draco reasoned.

'I disagree,' growled Elektra, glaring at her old friend.

'Don't leave you alone?' questioned the other one, Crabbe, cocking his head to one side.

'No! _Do_ leave me alone, but the rest of the Gryffindors are _not_ fair game, nor the Hufflepuffs _or_ the Ravenclaws. Hell, leave the Slytherin first years alone too. That poor boy you sent to spy on us yesterday did _not_ deserve that kind of a welcome!' Elektra ranted.

There was a pause during which Draco looked mildly impressed. Then;

'I don't understand' said Crabbe.

'How do you stand them?!' asked an exasperated Elektra.

'It's a mystery' replied Draco.

' _You_ don't understand either because its a mystery?' asked the still sopping yet boy.

' _No,_ Goyle', he glared at Elektra as she scoffed.

'Well, I'm out,' decided Elektra, feeling smug about leaving Draco to explain to his two cronies. She skipped around the corner and headed away from the trio before realising she was going back the way she came. She ran back to where she had met Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, the latter two of which were still trying to make sense of the situation.

'I don't know the way' whispered Elektra in a stage whisper. Draco turned around, smirking.

'Where are you trying to get to?'

'Uh.. the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom'

'End of the hall, left then left again into a small stairwell, down the stairs and turn right onto the corridor with the vandalised portrait of Krotowski the Kranky Killer, third classroom on the left'.

'Thank you!' she replied running off in that direction. 'Oh, and enjoy' she said sarcastically, nodding towards Crabbe and Goyle as she turned left at the end of the corridor.

* * *

'Where have you been?!' called Kat loudly. She had spotted Elektra coming around the corner at the same time she had left the classroom.

'I had to talk to Professor McGonagall' laughed the demigod.

'You missed the whole lesson!'

'I noticed'

'It was _amazing_. Professor Lupin explained the different forms of Dark Arts we would be learning about; offensive and defensive spells, dark creatures, curses! Then we started learning about ghosts! Ooh! Apparently our History of Magic professor is a ghost - one day he died while sleeping up in the staff room but didn't realise, and when he woke up he just went straight back to teaching!'

Elektra laughed lightly, but her heart wasn't in it. Kat frowned.

'What were you talking with McGonagall about that took so long?' she asked.

'Just sorting things about guardians and things', she replied, distracted. Her eyes kept flitting towards the door of the Defence classroom.

Picking up on it Kat pressed, 'is this about what you said yesterday at the sorting? About Professor Lupin not knowing you but knowing you or something? I must admit I got kind of confused...'

'What? Oh, no,' _Yes._ 'I just need to pick up whatever I missed from the lesson. Do you mind coming with me? Then we can run to lunch'

'Yeah, sure' Kat smiled.

The pair headed back into the classroom, pushing their way past the last few straggling Gryffindor first years heading animatedly down the corridor.

'Professor?'

Remus Lupin looked up from behind his desk at the two small girls hovering by the door, both drowning in their robes and wearing ties striped with scarlet and gold. One of them, Katherine - no, Kat she had told him at the beginning of the previous lesson, was standing a metre or so back from the other, twirling her frizzly blonde plait around her finger. The other girl, the one whom had spoken, the professor had not yet seen at Hogwarts, yet her thick black hair and fierce grey eyes, behind which seemed to be a hidden vulnerability, held a certain familiarity which the man could not place.

'I'm Elektra Black,' the girl said. _Black. The traditional Black family eyes._ But Sirius Black's brother had died not long before Voldemort fell. _Maybe she's a second cousin - distantly related._

She seemed to be watching him hesitantly, almost as if she were afraid. Afraid of him. _Maybe she knows._ The thought seems to release an army of moths in his chest, yet he kept his face impassive, interested, calm.

She took a deep breath. 'I was supposed to be in your last lesson but I had to talk to Professor McGonagall. I'm really sorry. I was wondering what I had missed?' She spoke quickly, almost rambling. Remus let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding. _She's just nervous_ , he concluded. _It's her first day and I'm a teacher. Merlin only knows I was terrified in first year._

'Of course,' he smiled. 'Come over here and take a seat and I'll give you a quick run through what we did today'. The girl shared a look with her friend and the two headed towards the desk. 'It's lovely to meet you, Elektra. I'm Professor Lupin' he introduced himself as they made their way towards him. 'How did you find the lesson, Kat? Any feedback is much appreciated. It's my first day here too, you know - as a teacher anyhow' he smiled.

'It was brilliant!' she enthused. 'I'm really excited for Friday's lesson!'.

'That's good to hear. I'm hoping to get Nea- Sir Nicholas on board for a first-hand discussion about being a ghost, but I can't promise you anything, so can I trust you to keep that to yourselves?'

They both grinned. 'Of course!'

Remus passed Elektra a piece of parchment. 'You can hand this worksheet back to me next lesson. It shouldn't take more than ten minutes to complete'. Elektra skimmed over it. One task was to match things up, the names and properties of different magical creatures, spells, curses and jinxes all muddled together.

'The lines turn green if you get it right but they puff up into dust if its wrong' Kat whispered. 'It's wicked!'

Remus spent five minutes explaining the lesson to Elektra, Kat jumping in every now and then with her own input, before he ushered them off to lunch.

He had only spent five minuted in her company and yet Elektra Black reminded Remus tremendously of Sirius. She was intuitive, energetic, quick to form tight friendships by the look of her and Kat. _The second ever Gryffindor Black. There are bound to be similarities. One can only hope her loyalty will prove stronger than that of the traitor's._

* * *

Kat practically skipped through the portrait hole after eating lunch. Elektra would have done the same had she not taken that second helping of pasta bake.

'It's just so amazing isn't it!' grinned Kat. 'I've been hearing stories about Hogwarts my whole life and now I'm finally here! Can you believe it?!'

'Hardly,' Elektra signed contently, flopping herself down onto the sofa by the fire. 'Eleven years of waiting and here we are'

'The castle, the Great Hall, the lessons, the _food!'_

'Ohhhh the food! They make us live off cheese and bread and grapes and olives at Camp,' Elektra frowned. 'I don't even like olives!'

'We should get our books for double Potions next'

'Nah, we have an hour until that lesson starts! That's another thing I love about this place. _Such. Long. Breaks._ '

'What do you mean, 'long breaks'? I've never worked so hard in my life!'

'We've had two hours of lessons this morning! That's it! One hour then a half hour break. Second hour then a two hour break. Third hour, ten minute break. Fourth hour, ten minute break. Fifth hour, end of the day. The castle's so big they have to timetable around it'

Kat went over to the noticeboard to look at the general class schedule which was posted on a piece of parchment:

7:00-9:00 - Breakfast

 **9:00-10:00 - Lesson 1**

10:00-10:30 - Break Time

 **10:30-11:30 - Lesson 2**

11:30-1:30 - Lunch

 **1:30-2:30 - Lesson 3**

2:30-2:40 - move to next lesson

 **2:40-3:40 - Lesson 4**

3:40-3:50 - move to next lesson

 **3:50-4:50 - Lesson 5**

5:00-9:00 - Dinner & Activities

9:00 - Curfew

'Merlin, you're right. We spend more time running around the castle than we do in lessons!'

'I guess that makes up of their lack of Phys Ed' Elektra snorted.

'Phys Ed?'

'Physical Education. PE. Sport. Whatever you want to call it.'

'Quidditch?'

'I guess Quidditch counts' laughed Elektra. 'So how do you think potions will work? We have a double but there's meant to be a ten minute break between the two classes. Will we get a mid-lesson recess or leave early or what?'

'You say 'recess'?' Kat laughed.

'I may not have adopted the American accent but I have adopted the phrases' Elektra defended herself.

'I doubt we'll get a break. This is Snape we're talking about' groaned Kat. 'Apparently he's the most vile, unfair teacher to set foot in this school. Unless, of course, you're a Slytherin'

Elektra rolled her eyes. 'Brilliant'.

Their conversation was interrupted by fellow first years, Charlie Garrick and Ben Meadowes, who suggested a quick game of exploding snap which they agreed to, before running up to the dormitories for a book change and sprinting through the length of the school to reach the dungeons in time for potions with Professor Severus Snape.

* * *

Not one student dared utter a word, clear their throat, or shuffle in their chair. Professor Snape instilled in them all a sort of obedience. They felt frozen in their chairs, the result of the teacher's icy stare. He spoke with precise syllables, each letter deliberate, rehearsed, and painfully slow.

'Potion-making is not for the reckless, a lesson you _Gryffindors_ must learn'. He spat the class's house name with venom. 'Each movement must be meticulously performed. One false move has the power to send you to St Mungo's. This class will provide you with the power to stew Glory, stir Luck, and simmer Death. It is not to be taken lightly'.

Professor Snape's eyes stalked across the class. Elektra rolled her lips together to stop the smirk that was threatening to betray her. She could see why her father aptly called him a 'greasy slimeball'. She lifted her chin and forced her eyes to meet his in a last desperate attempt not to smile.

Severus could see right though that black-haired girl's facade. It reminded him all too much of two particularly insufferable boys, who, twenty years ago, had fooled all too many teachers with that same strained expression.

'You,' he snarled, narrowing his eyes. 'Your name?'

'Elektra Black' she replied, keeping her jaw clenched as much as possible.

'Elektra Black, _Sir_ '.

Elektra was really struggling now. She was sure he was taking the greatest pleasure in his position of authority.

'Sir.' she repeated.

'Name the first, third, and fifth ingredients one would put in a Felix Felicis potion'

'I can't do that. Sir. If you ask me again in.. what is it... ' Elektra cast her mind back to a story her father had told her about a competition their Potions master had created to win the Liquid Luck, one James was desperate to win so Lily would finally accept to go to Hogsmeade with him. 'Sixth Year, when the syllabus covers liquid luck I believe, I'm sure I could tell you the answer'

'Five points from Gryffindor for your blatant disrespect' the Professor snarled.

'That's not fair!' called out Abraham Bott, 'That's a NEWT level question and you're punishing a First Year in our first potions lesson for not knowing the answer!'

'Life isn't fair, boy'. The teacher's lip curled. 'Name?'

'Abraham Bott, _Sir'_ he said proudly.

'Gryffindor has just lost another ten points. Your house must really appreciate their First Years'. Professor Snape addressed the whole class. 'There will be no speaking unless spoken to in this class. Do you understand that or must I make it clearer?' There was a succession of nodding heads.

'This is stupid,' muttered Abraham, running a hand over his buzzcut head.

'As was that comment Mr Bott. Detention tonight in my office'

'He's right! This is stupid,' Elektra spoke out, ignoring Kat's glare. 'Speaking is quite important. Without it the human race would have died out millennia ago, _Sir_ '

Snape's chin lifted very slightly and his eyes narrowed. There was no way this assumption could be wrong. He had seen that same glint in those same grey eyes too many times, both from his enemy Sirius, and Sirius' brother and Severus' acquaintance, Regulus. 'Miss Black, are you in away way related to the British pureblooded Black line?'

Elektra was caught off guard. Her eyes widened a little in shock, but she played it out as surprise. As a demigod she was well practiced at controlling her facial expressions.

'I didn't even know there was one, Professor,' she lied. 'My father is a muggle. He lives in America'

Snape's eyes narrowed even further. 'And your mother?'

'Dix!' Elektra exclaimed. She furrowed he brow at the odd word that had escaped her mouth, 'Uh, Hecate Dix. She was a Gryffindor'.

Professor Snape was still staring at her, deep into her eyes as if he were trying to enter her brain. She felt a slight heaviness in her head.

 _Oh. He wouldn't._

She clenched her jaw and pushed his prying mind out of hers. 'I think I know the name of my mother, thank you very much' she said with gritted teeth. 'Unlike that no-speaking rule, I am _not_ stupid' she smirked.

'You,' the Professor said very deliberately 'will be joining Bott for detention tonight, Black. And another 10 points will be lost from Gryffindor'.

Abraham looked at Elektra with a mixture of thanks and confusion across his face.

 _'Gryffindors stick together'_ she mouthed back, smiling, before turning her attention towards the backboard for the rest of the double period.


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm a horrible person who can't stick to deadlines. Oops. Thanks for sticking with me readers! xxxx**

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed smoothly without incident. Despite her unlucky loss of points in her first two lessons, she provided the staff with no more reasons to take any more away from Gryffindor. Her detention with Professor Snape was the dullest hour and a half she had spent at Hogwarts so far, scrubbing cauldrons and restocking the shelves like a muggle with Abraham. It made her wonder why her father chose to spent so much time in detention when he was at school when he could have been spending the time doing much more interesting things.

Elektra was really enjoying her DADA lessons as Professor Lupin made them practical and exciting. They were moving on from ghosts to ghouls in the next lesson. Every now and then she would spot him looking at her quizzically, but its as always so fleeting that she wondered whether she was imagining it. Transfiguration came a close second with Charms not far behind, but Snape's obvious disliking of her put potions near the bottom of the list, right next to Astronomy, the only interesting things about the latter subject being its loose connections to Ancient Greek mythology.

Elektra had become friends with almost all the Gryffindors in her year and decided not to spend her time sulking about those whom's company she did not enjoy, and had made a couple of connections in the other houses too, particularly the Ravenclaws as Rosie and Arti has introduced her.

Elektra and Kat had just sat down for lunch and were chatting about the upcoming flying lessons when they heard two third year boys, Seamus and Dean, whispering animatedly to some of the others from their yeargroup. The two first years focused their ears on their conversation.

'- Sirius Black. Stupid Malfoy stopped us from telling to you much about it in potions but he was sighted by muggles quite close by. I recon he's coming here, to Hogwarts. How exciting is that?!' grinned Seamus, his excitement connecting to his wand which had started spraying sparks. Dean casually plucked it out of his hand and dropped the fiery end in a cup of water. Harry, Ron and Hermione, however, just looked at one another and frowned as if they were passing a silent message between them.

'Do you have a copy of the article?' asked Harry.

'Yeah, what else does it say?' questioned Ron.

'I subscribed to the Daily Prophet as soon as I heard about the whole... Sirius Black issue' Hermione said, looking pointedly at Harry before rummaging in her overloaded school bag. 'I would advise you to do the same, but until you do, here's the full copy' she said, passing the two boys the paper.

There was a moment of quiet as the two read it. Neville Longbottom peered over Ron's shoulder. Ron's ill-looking rat peered out over the boy's robes pocket for a couple of seconds before scrambling in.

'Wow, that town is _really_ close' murmured Neville, swallowing hard. Elektra could take it no longer. She had to know where her dad was. She slid off her seat and walked timidly over to the group, tapping Hermione lightly on the shoulder.

'I'm really sorry, Hermione. Do you mind if I see that?' the first year asked.

'Of course!' the muggleborn said, taking it back from the boys and passing it to Elektra. Kat joined her from behind, carrying her plate of food and eating as she stood. Thankfully there was no photo accompanying the article - apparently Sirius was long gone by the time the aurors got to the scene. The picture on his WANTED poster scared her. It was savage and animalistic, clearly a publicity choice by the Prophet as Elektra knew he didn't really look like that - in the Oneiros link he was much fresher faced, his cheekbones were not sunken so deep, and his hair was not a knotted rats' nest - but Elektra still found it difficult to look at.

He was safe. He was close. That was all that really mattered.

Elektra handed the article back with thanks and returned to her original seat at the long table. 'Why are you so interested in this Sirius Black guy?' asked Kat. 'I just find it kind of boring and it doesn't affect _us_ at all' she elaborated.

'I like to know what's going on in the world' replied Elektra nonchalantly, dipping a potato wedge in her ketchup. 'Also, he has the same last name as me which is kind of cool' she grinned, and bit the chip ceremoniously in half.

* * *

The following weeks held no more sightings of Sirius Black, something which both worried and relieved Elektra. She new it was selfish but her frustration with her dad was growing day by day. For the first time since she could remember both father and daughter were in the same place at the same time, and yet he had not sent her one message since the scribbled note at the very beginning of September. For her to initiate the conversation would be far too risky as she had no way of knowing where he was staying or how visible he was to the public. She wished the Oneiros Link was still working. At least then she'd have a way of speaking with him directly. Elektra's mind had wondered to this familiar topic as she sat on the sofa in the Common Room, working on the Astronomy graph she was doing for homework. She was no longer paying any attention to what she was drawing and had began to doodle little pictures of the CHB cabins in the corner of her parchment, stroking her huge cat Arya with her other hand.

'Oh Styx!' Elektra shouted, jumping up from her seat. Arya leapt over to the next sofa in fright, knocking Nancy Bowtruckle's precariously balanced ink pot onto Ben Meadowes' Herbology essay.

'Oh Styx...' she repeated after seeing the commotion her sudden realisation had caused.

Charlie Garrick, who was starting to giggle at the ruckus asked her 'what was that about? You gave your poor cat a heart attack'

'Professor Sprout will have a heart attack too when she sees the mess this essay is in' groaned Ben.

'I'm so sorry,' apologised the half-blood as a fourth year hurried over to help the boy tidy up his homework. 'I just remembered something urgent that I need to do' she explained, folding up her unfinished work. 'I'll meet you in the Great Hall for dinner at 7?' she asked the group, who looked a little confused but nodded nonetheless, before scooping up the wary Arya and running up the stairs to the dormitory.

 _I can't believe I'd forgotten to Iris Message Alfie for so long..._ Elektra chided herself. She had told him not to IM her first in case she was with a group of people and had had no time to call him herself since very early on in the term. In fact, the last contact she'd had with her American friends had been a letter from Luke at the end of the second week promising her that if he had to write one more letter to Ursula about weaponry he would personally make sure that Elektra's bed at Camp would be moved next to the Stoll brothers', something which no one in their right mind would ever opt for unless they had a significant desire to wake up one morning with shaved eyebrows.

Grabbing a Drachma from a pouch in her bedside draw, Elektra headed into the bathroom to make a rainbow. Her three-legged main coon hobbled in the other direction and jumped onto her bed, curling up on Elektra's pillow.

'O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me Alfie Edgewere at Camp Half-Blood'

A shimmering image of the boy appeared in front of Elektra, handing some coins to Luke who passed him a 6-pack of cola in exchange. Elektra sighed. 'Now that is one thing I _do_ miss from back home...' she said, laughing as Alfie jumped around in fright to see her.

'ELEKTRA!' he grinned. 'Where have you been? You haven't IM'd in forever!'

'I know, Alf. I'm so sorry. I hardly get any time alone here and I've been so busy settling in. I promise I'll be a better IMer from now on' she smiled. 'Hi Luke!' she waved at the older boy a few metres away. 'How are you doing?'

'Much better now your friend isn't badgering me about ancient swords' he called back.

'Elektra has friends?!' Alfie gasped in mock surprise. 'I'm so proud of you!'

'Oi, cut it out or I'll have to hex from you across the pond'

'Ouch. Noted'. Alfie had been subject to quite a bit of Elektra's godly magic over the years. 'So tell me, what's been going on in your British double-life?'

Elektra gave her friend an overview of what Hogwarts had offered so far, carefully removing any obvious magical references. After providing a short description of each of her friends and teachers Elektra was eager to know more about the happenings at Camp. Alfie obliged, offering information on the training improvements, the gossip, and the new campers. If there was anything being in the Hermes cabin was good for it was getting accurate information on the Camp's going ons. Every now and then a friend from camp would jump into the frame and say hello. When Alfie called Annabeth and Daisy over Elektra was dying to tell them about Draco. It took all of her willpower to oblige by Draco's wishes and hold back the information. When the two were alone again their conversation became a little more serious.

'Luke's been acting kind of weird recently' Alfie confessed. 'Annabeth agrees. He's just not the Luke we used to know, you know, before his quest last year'

'He seemed perfectly normal when I talked to him earlier. Any clue what it's all about?'. Elektra asked with a frown.

'No idea' Alfie shrugged. 'No one's asked him about it. Mr D couldn't care less and Chiron either hasn't noticed or doesn't _want_ to notice. Oh well, I'm sure it will all blow over soon'

'Yeah. I hope he's feeling better by the time I come back'. This brightened Alfie's mood considerably.

'When are you coming back?! You said December but you didn't specify when'

'December 10th I'll be all yours' the witch chuckled. 'I love Hogwarts so much but I miss Camp a _lot_ when I'm here'

'I'd be highly offended if you didn't'

'Alright, High and Mighty' Elektra laughed.

'Can you send letters from Hogwarts? Having to wait for the occasional IM does not do our friendship justice'

'I'll have to ask how international post works here but I'll try my best. Whatever you do, do _not_ send the first letter. It won't make it to my school with normal postmen. No one really knows where Hogwarts is' Alfie frowned but compiled.

'Understood, although you said that about IMs, so you'd better not be so lax with letters'. His eye-line moved past her shoulder to a spot behind her. 'Umm, Elektra?'

'...What?'

'There's someone at the door'

Elektra's eyes widened and she slowly span around. At the open bathroom door was a very confused and surprised looking Kat.

'I just came up to grab another piece of parchment' said the blonde girl sheepishly.

'Oh. Yeah. Of course' answered Elektra, still frozen in place. Alfie was watching the encounter awkwardly from the other side of the rainbow.

'Hi. I'm Alfie' he waved.

'Alf!' Elektra glared at him, exasperated.

'What? I'm in plain sight anyway and it would be rude not to introduce myself'

'You're Alfie? I've heard lots about you! I'm Kat!' the other girl replied, smiling. She passed the boundary into the bathroom, standing at Elektra's shoulder.

'I hope all good things,' he joked. 'I've heard a lot about you too!' he replied.

'How does this communication work?' asked Kat, reaching out her hand to touch the iris message.

'NO!' the demigods shouted. Kat jumped, retracting her hand like a cat pulling its paw away from water. 'If you swipe it, it hangs up' explained Elektra. Kat mumbled an apology. There was a moment of awkward silence.

'You didn't say your American friends were magical too, Elektra!' started Kat.

'Too?' questioned Alfie at the same time as Elektra's 'They're not!'

Kat gasped, then whispered unintentionally loudly 'This is a muggle communication?'

'Not exactly 'muggle''

Alfie was getting suspicious. 'Muggle?'. Elektra was wracking her brain for an explanation that would stop them both from talking. She could think of nothing and their questions were coming quicker and quicker. 'Lex, what's going on?'

'Did I break the Statue of Secrecy?'

'Are there half-bloods at Hogwarts too?'

'Of course there are half-bloods here. And purebloods. And muggleborns'

'Purebloods and muggleborns? What are you talking about?'

'What are you talking about?'

'Half-blood whats?'

'I don't know if I'm allowed to answer that'

'Try me'

'Witches and wizards'

Silence.

'Elektra, are there more of Hecate's kids in the UK?'

'Hecate's? Isn't that your mum's name, Elektra?'

'She's not a demigod?'

'A demigod?'

'You can do magic?' Alfie asked. Kat nodded. 'And you're not related to Elektra?' Kat shook her head. 'Elektra, what's going on?' Alfie repeated.

The demigod witch saw no other option. She took a deep breath. 'Neither of you can tell _anyone_ about what I'm about to say, OK?' They both nodded. 'You swear on the River Styx, Alf?'

'I swear on the River Styx'. He looked up as thunder rumbled on his side of the connection.

'You swear on your magic, Kat?'

'Uhuh' the girl looked positively frightened.

'You may want to take a seat. This is going to take a lot of explaining'. The image of Alfie's face began to flicker. 'The connection's fading! No, no, no, no, no... come on Iris, not now'

'Do you have another Drachma?' Alfie asked urgently.

'I'll run and get one. Don't go anywhere'

'I'm not planning on it' he grumbled, tapping his knee with anxiety.

Elektra pushed past Kat who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub looking very flustered. She pulled open her drawer to grab another Drachma, fumbling with the drawstring on the pouch in her hurry. 'Merlin, come on, come on...'.

She made it back into the bathroom just as Alfie's image faded back into mist.

'STYX!' she shouted, throwing the golden coin into the sink and lowering herself to a position on the floor.

Kat headed over to the sink and picked up the coin, examining it. 'Can't you just call him back?' She looked wary of Elektra. Untrusting.

Elektra shook her head. 'I have a feeling our conversation was cut up for a reason'. _You'll be doing the right thing_ , Elektra told herself. _Trusting someone with this information after only knowing them a few weeks would be a stupid idea_. She gently took the coin back from Kat's grip. She swallowed. 'I'm sorry'. Elektra closed her eyes and formulated a new situation.

'For wha-' Elektra clicked her fingers. Kat's question was cut off and her eyes glazed over. A few seconds later the cheerful, jubilant eleven-year-old was back. 'Are you feeling better now, Elektra?'

'Much better, thanks Kat'. The blonde girl gave Elektra a sympathetic smile and went to run back downstairs. 'Oh, you forgot your parchment'

'Oops! Thanks Elektra!' said Kat, grabbing it off her bedside table and skipping back downstairs. As the door to the dormitory slowly closed, Elektra heard Kat call out down the others in the Common Room 'Sorry I took so long! Elektra wasn't feeling well'.

 _Well, if that was a lie before it certainly isn't now,_ thought Elektra as she gripped onto the edge of the sink. _I used the Mist to alter someone's memory. Kat's memory. I used it on a person for the first time._ At least Chiron would be proud of her progress. _I feel sick_.

Now she had to work out what to do about Alfie.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - So I got a review on 23rd June saying I hadn't updated in 4 months... 4 months?! and that was over a month ago now. It came through the same day I finished my last A2 exam so I felt super motivated to get another chapter up (I was still in my exam *must be constantly working* frame of mind) so I read through my past chapters ready to finish the next one and was getting really frustrated by little details I had put here or there throughout it, so kept putting off writing the next chapter. There are milestones in the story that I can't wait to reach so that I can properly write out what has been whirring round my head for almost two years now (?!) but I have to push through these earlier chapters to get there, so here we go.**

 **Keep up the reviews because they really do remind me that someone is reading the stuff I put out there, and it motivates me to write so much! Much love x**

 **^^^^ I'VE JUST READ THAT FROM ALMOST A WHOLE YEAR AGO IM SO SORRY**

 **I was also planning to upload on the 20th anniversary but that clearly didn't happen, did it. I remember having serious writer's block and just being frustrated in general with how slowly it was all progressing so I've decided to adopt that classic time-skip technique where multiple weeks are covered in one chapter haha.**

 **A lot has happened in the past year as you can probably guess... A-Levels feel like a whole other world ago as I'm now in my last week of First-Year lectures at uni before exams kick off. I started feeling a little bit nostalgic about this story I was so determined to write, and for the first time since September I have hardly any extra-curricula commitments (at least none that are pressing) and I'm in denial about revision so ... here I am! I'll try and keep writing but as I'm sure you're aware it's going to be pretty irregular uploads. Hopefully I can get this off the ground again (and sorry for any inconsistencies with the earlier chapters... there are some things I wrote that bug me a lot (i.e. Crookshanks being the Potters' cat I think I wrote? had clearly just read that headcannon and thought it was cute but shouldn't have included it in the story because it would have to become an extra storyline) but I don't want to rewrite so just take whatever I saw from now onwards as fact lol ... i've forgotten how to do things like line breaks so sorry about that... here's a relatively long chapter (i think) to keep yall going til next time x**

It was ten past two in the morning and Elektra was sitting up against the headboard of her four-poster bed, the curtains drawn and an orb of godly light floating next to her. Her Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1 book was resting upon her knees, taking up the role of a table for the piece of messily scribbled-on parchment that the girl was impatiently tapping her engraved, emerald quill against. She read back over what she had already written.

 ** _Alfie,_**

 ** _There's something really important that I've been hiding from you. that I've had to keep from you. It's about my school as I'm sure you've guessed. It's not exactly normal._**

 ** _There's a law called The Statue of Secrecy which is the reason I couldn't say anything, but muggle non-magic relatives are allowed to know, and you are pretty much a 'brother o' mine'._**

Elektra smiled weakly as she read those words. Alfie would say 'sister, sister' to which Elektra would reply 'oh brother o' mine', and it had now become a peace offering of sorts. Elektra furrowed her brow as she wracked her brain for the memory of how that exchanged first formed, but found her mind blank.

 ** _Kat told you that she has magic too. I go to a magic school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Everyone here can do magic, but it's not like the magic you've seen me do. Nor is is Mortal magic before you get that idea into your head. It's similar to my mystiokenisis in a lot of ways - you're either born with it or you aren't. We do magic with wands and we make potions in cauldrons, and write on parchment as I'm sure you've noticed. It's all very stereotypical - to be honest I'm constantly surprised by how stuck in the past the wizarding world is._**

 ** _This kind of magic tends to run in families which is why I have it. It's not because of Hecate. It's because my dad is a wizard. I have to work quite hard at separating the two types of magic. The godly and wizarding abilities come from different places, but Chiron's been helping me for years. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before. There are wizards all around the world, but because I'm British I'm automatically accepted into the biggest British wizarding school. There's actually a good school in America too but I've been dreaming of Hogwarts since I was born, so I'm afraid there's no persuading me to move. I don't know whether my mother had anything to do with the beginning of wizardry or whether it's a genetic mutation of some kind or how it all began but it's not all fun and games. I guess it's like being a demigod - it sounds like a dream come true but there's a lot of bad stuff that goes on._**

 ** _Please don't tell Alabaster about this. He hasn't got this kind of magic but he won't understand; he never listens to me and he always acts really bitter when someone has something he doesn't._**

 ** _I hope you're not upset that I didn't tell you before. I'll try to explain more when I see you at Christmas. I've paid for the post delivery already (you probably noticed the owl too huh?). Don't worry, the owl will only have flown from JFK airport. My letter would have been transported through the fireplace and sent to you from there. Wizarding owls can find anyone anywhere. Annabeth would be amazed._**

 ** _Reply to_**

 ** _Elektra Black,_**

 ** _JFK Airport - Exit 7.65,_**

 ** _Hogwarts School,_**

 ** _Scotland_**

 ** _or it won't reach me._**

 ** _p.s. I decided to use the Mist on Kat. I feel so awful but there's no one but you I can talk to about that. She doesn't remember anything. Erasing someone's memory isn't natural. It scares me, what people like us can do._**

Elektra tried to check it through for errors, but the words were swimming across the bumpy parchment. She checked the watch sitting on her bedside table - 2:47am. No wonder the letters on the page were more dizzying than usual. Thanking Merlin for self-spelling ink and deciding there was nothing more she could say, Elektra signed off the letter, folded it in half and placed the textbook over half of it to keep it from springing open. _I'll take it to the owlery tomorrow. Gods, I really hope this isn't intercepted at the international post office,_ she thought as her mind drifted into a welcoming sleep.

Elektra awoke five hours later to an odd variation of a Christmas song.

'Christmas time!

Mistletoe and wine!

Children singing Wizarding rhyme!

With logs on the fire, and elves round tree,

a time for rej- Oi!'

Yasmin Thripp had thrown one of her pillows in the direction of the noise.

'Kat,' Yasmin yawned. 'as much as I appreciate your... tuneful singing, I do not appreciate it as my 7:30am alarm clock'

'Not to mention that it's October 1st' added Elektra. 'You have another two months before it becomes vaguely acceptable to sing Christmas songs'

'Alright Scrooge. How about this to get you up then?' She leapt on top of Elektra who had dived under her duvet.

'PINCH, PUNCH-'

Elektra smirked, and, using the skills she had learnt at Camp, flipped Kat over, finishing the rhyme.

'FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. NO RETURN!'

'Wow. You're strong. No fair' Kat groaned, pushing Elektra back off the bed. Elektra lifted her arms and tensed her biceps, kissing each one in mock seriousness.

Nancy Bowtruckle had managed to sleep through the whole event. Her three wakened roommates shared one knowing look before all pouncing on top of her; 'PINCH, PUNCH, FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH. NO RETURN!' they shouted as she screamed and toppled out of bed.

Nancy lay staring at the ceiling for a few seconds. She sighed and shook her head. 'Oh, you are on'.

And so began the prank war.

The four first-year girls were grouped in the corner of their common room at lunch, crowded over a piece of parchment titled 'RULES'.

'Why do we need these again?' sighed Elektra who was perfectly happy to cause mayhem without restrictions.

'Well for starters, I haven't been able to sit down since you moved that chair from under me in Defence this morning-' groaned Nancy, absentmindedly rubbing her coccyx.

'Then there's Kat's hilarious for us, unfortunate for Professor Sprout, rampant _Dysfixius Deronerome_ bulb' continued Yasmin.

Kat grinned. 'I can't believe that managed to bounce into her hard enough to knock her off her ladder'

'Impeccable aim' congratulated Elektra with a sly smirk. 'But ok, fine, I get it. Let's keep the rules minimal though'.

'Number 1' Nancy stated decisively, 'Nothing that will cause serious injury'.

Elektra thought hard, trying to think of something that would benefit rather than limit her in her Marauder-esque endeavours. 'Number 2: Never dub in the culprit'

Yasmin's 'Number 3: Nothing irreversible' was met with a serious of nods and a scribbling pen.

'Number 4: Nothing that will put anyone in serious trouble. I'd rather not be on the receiving end of a howler complaining about a letter home, please' Kat concluded. 'This is going to be so much fun' she grinned menacingly.

Nancy sighed in defeat. 'I'm going to have to sleep with my eyes open. Who knew when McGonagall arrived on my doorstep telling my disbelieving parents of my magical abilities that a prank war would be what my abilities are used for'.

Elektra smirked. 'Well you'd all better watch out because I've been bunking with pranksters since I was eight, and they have _no_ rules. You have to be prepared for _anything._ I have many-a-trick up my sleeve'.

Yasmin gabbed her pen back from Kat, dropping it back into her bag, and picked up the parchment. 'I'm going to run this upstairs,' she said, giving the sheet a quick wave, 'then we should go down for lunch before Potions'.

'Oh, I'll take it!' chimed Elektra, taking this as her opportunity to post the letter that had been pressing on her mind all day. 'I have something I need to take to the owlery while were still on lunch break anyway'.

'Ok, but be quick' Yasmin replied, handing Elektra the parchment. 'Apparently they have roast potatoes today'.

The next week was filled with many 'accidental' incidents surrounding the four Gryffindor first years, Elektra, Kat, Yasmin and Nancy. One potions lesson, Elektra decided that it was time to test out a self-invented spell. The night before she had been conversing with Hermione Granger in the common room who had provided Elektra with a brief overview of spell-invention techniques.

'The simplest method is merely merging two true spells together. For example, the sticking charm and a constancy charm are the components that create a Permanent Sticking Charm. However, it is of course the strength of the caster and of the spell itself that will determine the extent to of the permanency. In Arithmancy we learn how magical properties and numbers contribute to this as some components work with one another and others do not. I would highly recommend taking it when you reach third year. It's an incredibly fascinating subject...'. It was around this point that Elektra zoned out and she became suddenly very aware of the other conversations and movements happening around the room. She snapped her attention back to her original subject who was looking a little put down and Elektra's seeming lack of interest.

'Sorry. ADHD,' the demigod explained, hoping Hermione would understand and not get too offended - Gryffindor rumour stated she was already in a bad mood because of something Ron Weasley had done, and Elektra had no desire to make Hermione's misery any greater. 'Thank you. That was very informative,' skipping of back to the dorm for a flick through 'A Standard Book of Spells: Grade 1'.

Pulling herself back to the present, the demigod idly noticed that Snape had finished scrawling the list of ingredients onto the blackboard. _Now is as good a time to try it as ever_ , Elektra thought, standing up to collect some ingredients from the store cupboard and subtly tracing her wand along the long line of potions on the way, whispering ' _canerus paribus'._

It wasn't long before each cauldron burst into song, the volume merely dimming slightly at Snape's _Priori Incortantem._ Elektra laughed silently at the moody professor's eye twitch and clenched fists which were fully apparent as he chased the class out the dungeons after he failed to end the charm.

Other pranks were more subtle, such as Yasmin's spellwork on Kat's transfiguration essay that caused all the writing to disappear as soon as McGonagall made a move to mark it and reappeared again once she moved away. The group of four watched the Professor try tactic after tactic through the small window into the classroom from the courtyard, laughing hysterically as McGonagall purposefully lifted her wand as if to summon her mug of hot tea before switching the wand's direction at the last second in an attempt to trick the parchment. This, however, only succeeded in making it angry, and the parchment arranged itself into the shape of a beater's club and started repeatedly bumping into the woman's head, who's lips were getting thinner and thinner by the minute.

'That's some serious spellwork' gaped Kat. 'Where did you get that from?'

'Oliver did it for me in tandem with my own creative vision. Oliver Wood, that is. 7th Year Quidditch Captain,' Yasmin beamed, proud of her friendly acquaintance with such a grown-up and major figure as if it was her greatest accomplishment, which, to the other three, it was. 'He's a family friend so we know each other quite well. He said he'd usually respect McGonagall too much to do something like this, but she have him a low grade on his last Transfiguration essay, so the Beater's bat was his addition'.

'Wicked...', Nancy sighed as McGonagall transformed into a cat and skulked off through the cranked-open door to her chambers.

Three weeks on and the pranking operation successfully continued. Not once had either of the four even nearly been caught, and the teachers had started approach their first year classes with fearful anticipation for the mayhem ahead. Potions was more often than not a class that the girls used to try out new explosives, Charms one in which they made each other do stupid things in front of the whole class, and they took the chance in Herbology to get messy. Flying was the only class in which they held a cease-fire, something they had decided on after Kat fell of her broom in the first lesson having unbalanced herself by checking over her shoulder to see if anyone had their wands pointed at her. On the morning of Halloween Elektra woke up to the sight of Nancy braiding Kat's hair which was dotted with festive orange highlights. Nancy caught the demigod's eye and winked, putting a finger to her lips. As they did most mornings, the four girls skipped down the dormitory stairs to the common room, meeting up with some of the boys at the bottom before heading down to the Great Hall. They chattered in excitement as they entered through the doorway, noticing how the floating candles had been replaces with pumpkin lanterns. Their conversation was abruptly halted by a roar of wind as the owl-post made it's morning drop off. 'No more sightings of Sirius Black...' Elektra heard Hermione mutter to herself before cramming her Daily Prophet into her bag and taking off briskly as she spotted Ron entering the hall. The demigod turned back towards her cereal. She had long given up waiting for a letter from Alfie after he had failed to appear in any Iris Messages she had made to camp.

 _Splash._

Elektra's bowl had landed upside down on her lap, and milk was splattered across the table. The eleven year-old swiped her thick dark hair, now matted with dairy, off her face, to come eye to eye with a tawny owl. The Great Hall was silent. A second passed, and then the owl guiltily stuck its leg out, offering Elektra a piece of paper. She caught Draco's eye from across the hall and he shook his head slightly, smirking a great deal. A giggle spread across the hall, and then the undistinguishable chattering continued.

Elektra rolled her eyes at the owl, shook off her sleeve, and untied the knot holding the letter onto the bird's foot.

 ** _Elektra,_** \- the letter read

 ** _Wow. That's some heavy stuff. I was upset that I didn't know but I understand. It's going to take a while to take it all in but I'll try my best. About Kat, don't beat yourself up about it. You did what you had to do, and you achieved something that takes so much practice to pull off! You should be proud of yourself._**

 ** _I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I was trying to wrap my head around it all, and then things at camp got weird. That's something I need to talk to you about. IM me soon please, but remember to lock the door this time._**

 ** _Ah, Styx. Mr D's not in a great mood today (is he ever?) and he just summoned us, so I'd better run. I'll still be seeing you at Christmas, right?_**

 ** _We all miss you,_**

 ** _Alfie_**

Elektra felt relief cascade through her shoulders. _Alfie's safe. He doesn't hate me. We're OK._

 _'_ What's that?' asked Kat, peering over her friend's shoulder.

'Oh, nothing'. Elektra said quickly, folding it hurriedly and slipping it into the deep pocket of her robes. 'Just an update from home. Everything's good' she continued. But everything wasn't good. _Then things at camp got weird..._ That phrase was spinning through her head over and over. Elektra didn't feel too hungry anymore.

'Right,' she stated, standing up abruptly. 'I'd better run back to the dormitory and put on a change of clothes. I doubt Snape is one to be forgiving if I turn up late for his class. I wonder if anyone's left a broomstick lying around that I could use to get me up those six flights of stairs...'

A couple of hours later, and the first-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were heading out of History of Magic in a zombie-like state. Elektra, Kat, and their Ravenclaw friends from the train-ride from London, Rosie and Arty, traipsed into the corridor breathing a sigh of relief. 'I'm pretty sure Binns _literally_ gave me a headache. It feels like the two halves of my brain are compressing together' she complained, leaning against the grey stone wall and letting her head rest backwards.

Rosie chimed in, 'I find magic fascinating, but even I agree that class was enough to make anyone's brain turn to mush'.

'Well, I'm heading to lunch,' dictated Arty. 'Care to join?' Kat and Rosie voiced their agreement before looking to Elektra.

'You coming?' asked Kat.

'I think I'm going to lie down for a bit... I'm really not feeling too great'. Rosie and Archie headed off to the Great Hall, but Kat lingered for a moment.

'Are you alright? Would you like to go to the hospital wing?'

'I'm fine, really. I'm probably just tired, and I want to make sure I'm on best form for the feast tonight'

Kat looked like she wanted to protest, but bit her tongue. 'Ok,' she sighed. 'But I'm bringing you back some food. You hardly got to eat anything at breakfast this morning what with that clumsy owl, and we can't have you starving yourself'. The pair split ways, and Elektra made it to the bottom of the stairs before her vision became dotted with red spots, and a darkness began to creep in from the outside. She clutched onto the bannister tightly, crouching down every few strides to prevent herself from blacking out completely, and after what felt like an eternity Elektra made it to her dorm. She felt like the Knight Bus was running its wheels backwards and forwards over her head. Elektra's cat, Arya, mewed from her place at the window ledge in recognition. The main coon was positioned with her back feet on the floor and her front paws scratching angrily at the window.

'What's up?' asked Elektra weakly, her own quiet voice sounding as loud the crash of a million cymbals to her ears. She glanced out the window to try and spot what it was that had her cat so worked up, when she noticed a dark shadow disappearing into the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Elektra furrowed her brow slightly, but was too overcome by the pain in her head to pay it much notice. Arya seemed to clock onto Elektra's out-of-sorts as she stopped her scratching, jumping up onto Elektra's bed and purring softly by her side, and Elektra allowed the darkness to embrace her.


End file.
